Jason Aldean’s new album will only be available on the paid Premium tier of Spotify, YouTube and other streamers for two weeks after it’s release today. Major labels negotiated the free tier opt-out during recent negotiations. But Aldean, who has been skeptical of how streaming hurts sales, is the first superstar artist to officially experiment with the option.
In addition to Spotify, Aldean’s new album ” Rearview Town” will only be available to premium subscribers of YouTube, who have not previously endorsed the practice known as windowing, as well as, Amazon and Pandora, who have allowed it for other releases. Apple Music, Tidal, Napster and other services that only have a paid tier will also stream the new release starting today.
A Test For YouTube Too
Aldean’s windowed release will also test YouTube’s Content ID in keeping unauthorized uploads of Aldean’s album off of its free platform for two week weeks while it offers it on it’s paid service YouTube Red.