Metal Blade Records Has Entered the Spotify Building… But They’re Still in the Lobby
MetalSucks reader Salvador P. emailed us this afternoon with a very important news development for IMNs like us: Metal Blade Records artists have started appearing on Spotify.
Metal Blade were some of the last holdouts in the metal world after the mass exodus from the service when it finally launched in the U.S. in mid-2011. Prosthetic Records and Sumerian Records are the biggest labels left whose artists are not available, although Sumerian Records has made a few select tracks available from most of their artists.
It’s not clear whether Metal Blade is still in the process of uploading their catalog to Spotify or whether they’re being selective about what will be available there. As of the time of this writing, only one Cannibal Corpse studio album is available (1999’s Bloodthirst), only one Black Dahlia Murder album is available (2005’s Miasma) and only one Amon Amarth studio album is available (2009’s The Avenger). Meanwhile, plenty of Metal Blade artists aren’t represented at all; none of the The Red Chord Metal Blade releases are posted and none of Behemoth’s Metal Blade studio albums are posted (both bands appear on Spotify courtesy other record labels). Metal Blade seems to care less about live albums — Cannibal Corpse and Amon Amarth each have a live album posted — and rarities / b-sides, such as Behemoth’s Demonica collection. What about some of the label’s younger, newer and smaller bands? Both of Lazarus A.D.’s albums are posted, Lightning Swords of Death’s new one isn’t while the prior one is, and Aeon’s newest album isn’t while their previous one is too; meanwhile, the latest Abiotic, Gypsyhawk and Battlecross records do not appear.
So: the policy for the label’s biggest bands, at least right now, seems to be “don’t post the newest record but do post something from the catalog.” I cannot establish any pattern for the smaller bands on the label. As for what sparked Metal Blade to finally jump on the Spotify bandwagon, I really can’t say. My guess would be that it has something to do with their distributor.
Either way, this is awesome. Metal Blade and the bands on the label will now be able to benefit from the increased visibility that Spotify offers, and fans will be able to discover that music easily, especially given all the new discovery tools Spotify is rolling out and all the metal apps that are suddenly appearing.
As for the alleged low payouts Spotify offers, Bob Lefsetz said it best in a newsletter last week:
But you keep complaining you can’t get paid.
I’ve got one word for you…SCALE!
Once everybody has a subscription, there’s TONS of money involved.
Truth.
A representative from Metal Blade Records was contacted for comment for this article but did not reply.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Profound Lore Records artists are not on Spotify, and that the Lightning Swords of Death album on Spotify is the band’s newest. Both mistakes have been corrected above.
