00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 10 musicians or bands who have opted to remove their music from
00:10streaming services for one reason or another.
00:19Tatsuro Yamashita
00:27City pop legend Tatsuro Yamashita was an icon of the genre and Japanese music as a whole long before streaming
00:33services were a thing.
00:34As a result, it makes all the sense in the world that he prefers to keep physical media at the
00:38forefront of his distribution, never licensing his music to Spotify or other streaming services.
00:51Although occasionally live performances or some standalone releases have found their way onto these platforms, the majority of Yamashita's music
00:57exists outside of these channels.
01:05To this day, his influence on a range of musicians can be felt, both at home in Japan and beyond.
01:14Kaja Bonet
01:20Although the majority of Kaja Bonet's music is still available on Spotify, in August of 2025, she announced to her
01:26fans that her future releases will not be uploaded.
01:29She did so due to her resentment of streaming services broadly, as well as her own values and political beliefs.
01:39According to Bonet, she was dropped from her label shortly after making the decision, but she held no ill will
01:44towards their choice.
01:50She explained that the move reflected a desire for greater artistic control and a closer relationship with listeners, while ensuring
01:56that purchases more directly supported her work.
01:58While she estimated that she would try out this new approach for at least two years, only time will tell
02:03if she ever decides to return.
02:11As one of the defining bands of Japan's Visual K movement, Malice Miza was certainly a treat for the senses.
02:23Their sound contained gothic rock, classical music, theatrical performances, and elaborate costumes, making them a truly influential act in the
02:311990s.
02:32Despite continued international interest, Malice Miza's catalog remains largely absent from Spotify and many other major streaming platforms outside Japan.
02:47The reason? Well, it seems as though complex copyright splits, divided rights, and the fact that their label is now
02:52defunct make any official online presence quite difficult.
03:02Sure, you can find a lot of their stuff generally, but the idea of an official Spotify profile popping up
03:06anytime soon is a long shot at best.
03:16Samhain
03:16After Misfits broke up and before he put together Danzig, the punk icon Glenn Danzig formed Samhain.
03:26As early champions of the sounds of gothic and extreme music, the band released three acclaimed albums before packing it
03:33in.
03:33Although the band's recordings remain highly influential, much of the catalog has never been made available on Spotify or other
03:39major streaming services.
03:45Danzig himself has never officially offered up a comment, and he has held tight control over his various projects over
03:50the years, even if there is some inconsistency over which projects are available to stream.
03:5807!
04:01WooLife
04:02The quality over quantity seemed to be the approach for English Indie rockers WooLife…
04:14releasing what appeared to be their sole album in 2011, before disbanding.
04:22However, they unexpectedly reunited in 2025 for what seemed to be a second album release cycle.
04:28On April Fool's Day, 2026, they uploaded a fake version of the single The Fool to Spotify,
04:33featuring parody vocals and a message directing listeners to go to their website to hear the real thing.
04:42It was a move that made their stance on streaming platforms clear.
04:46Their second album, A Wave That Will Never Break, was released through their chosen channels a few days later.
04:58Godspeed You Black Emperor
05:04A band like Godspeed You Black Emperor is pretty hard to nail down to a single genre.
05:09Since emerging in the late 1990s, albums such as Lift Your Skinny Fist Like a Tennis to Heaven have become
05:14landmarks of experimental rock.
05:22With their iconic status sealed beyond any doubt, the band quietly removed their music from major streaming platforms in 2025,
05:28giving no real explanation for the decision.
05:38However, they stood as just one of many bands who have taken a similar stance against streaming corporations.
05:43Bands that prioritize having control over the distribution of their work.
05:53Cindy Lee
06:00As the former member of the band Women, Patrick Flegel had plenty of momentum ahead of their move into a
06:05solo career.
06:06Cindy Lee was the resulting project, blending lo-fi recording, classic girl group melodies, experimental pop, and haunting psychedelic textures.
06:14I'm living like Dracula
06:19During 2025, Flegel removed the project's catalog from Spotify, Apple Music, and other major streaming platforms,
06:26leaving Band Camp and Physical Editions as the primary official ways to access the music.
06:38Like many others, no official reason was given, but fans were able to put two and two together.
06:43Flegel's long-standing preference for independence, direct artists to listener distribution,
06:47and the resistance to conventional music industry structures, made it pretty easy to understand.
06:59King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
07:06Few bands, if any, have been quite as prolific as Australia's King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in recent years.
07:12Since forming back in 2010, they have explored a wide range of genres, releasing a whopping 27 studio albums in
07:19that time.
07:25In 2025, the band removed nearly all of its catalog from Spotify, in protest over Spotify CEO Daniel X Investment
07:32in Helsing,
07:33an artificial intelligence military technology company.
07:39They did maintain a presence on other platforms, but their exit from Spotify did wonders
07:44when it came to drawing attention towards ex-business practices.
07:58As one of the most distinctive and recognizable songwriters of her time,
08:02Joanna Newsome has carved out a unique place for herself in modern music.
08:06As a skilled multi-instrumentalist with a dab hand for the harp,
08:09Newsome's poetic compositions have earned her a legion of devoted fans over the years.
08:17Despite her success, Newsome's catalog has never appeared on Spotify, and she has never been afraid to explain why.
08:23In her eyes, Spotify's business model undervalues music,
08:26and encourages listeners to treat albums as disposable background content,
08:30rather than the art form it actually is.
08:37To this day, physical releases and downloadable content are the primary way to enjoy Newsome's work,
08:42and to do that, you have to go straight to the source.
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09:01Are you not entertained?!
09:03Garth Brooks
09:10As the highest profile artist in music to opt out of major streaming services,
09:14it's pretty fair to say that Garth Brooks doesn't need to bow to anyone's wishes.
09:18He ranks as one of the biggest selling musicians of all time,
09:21and has a number of sellout stadium tours to his name.
09:28After resisting streaming for years over concerns about artist value and compensation,
09:32he signed an exclusive deal with Amazon Music in 2016.
09:41Simply put, if you want to stream Brooks' music, you can do so in one place, and one place only.
09:46From the sounds of things, Brooks appears to prefer it if his fans stuck to physical media entirely,
09:51but he eventually compromised to at least some degree.
10:00But have any of your favorite artists opted out of streaming platforms in recent times?
10:04Let us know in the comments below.
10:06So, go to the court for specific moments below this show,
10:06We'll see you next time on time on time.
