In context: Thanks to the popularity of streaming services such as those from Spotify and Apple, it’s now easy to listen to almost any piece of music you can think of. But there are still some artists who, for one reason or another, have never embraced the digital world. One of the most famous of these long-time holdouts, prog-metal band Tool, has finally relented and is allowing its back catalog to be streamed and purchased digitally.
Back in 2017, reports claimed that Tool had been talking to the big streaming services about making their music available to the companies, though nothing came of it. But the band has now confirmed that on Friday, August 2, Opiate, Undertow, Ænima, Lateralus and 10,000 Days would be available on "all digital and streaming formats." No word on which ones are included, but expect all the big names in music streaming to add Tool to their extensive libraries.
The decision comes at the same time as Tool announced that its first album in 13 years, Fear Inoculum, will be released on August 30.
The number of musicians avoiding streaming has fallen in recent years, with The Beatles, AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, and Led Zeppelin all having finally allowed their work to appear on the services. According to Billboard, two of the few acts still absent are De La Soul and the late Aaliyah.
As noted by Engadget, Tool lead singer Maynard James Keenan's other bands, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, have been available on streaming services for years.
At the start of 2019, Keenan tweeted that it wasn’t his fault Tool couldn’t be streamed, telling a complaining fan that they were “Squawking at the wrong tool.”
https://www.techspot.com/news/81207-tool-long-time-streaming-service-holdout-finally-relenting.html
