Adele's new album 25 won't be availble on streaming services. Photo / AP
Adele's new album 25 won't be availble on streaming services. Photo / AP
British singer Adele has angered fans after her record label confirmed new album 25 would not be available to fans through streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.
The singer is said to have been personally involved in the decision, according to the New York Times.
The source said Adele's XL Recording label had decided to withhold 25, expected to be the biggest album release of 2015, from streaming platforms when it is released.
"Seriously Adele, what the hell is your problem?" one fan tweeted.
"@Adele, I read you're (sic) album won't be available to stream. As a paying @Spotify customer, that sucks! I pay in my $120 a year. Why punish me?" Timothy Field tweeted.
The Hello singer's no-streaming policy is similar to that of pop star Taylor Swift, who pulled her music from Spotify late in 2014 over royalties disputes.
"Adele's new album won't be on Spotify and I'm blaming Taylor Swift for it even though it's technically not her fault," Kayla LaRosa tweeted.
"Turns out Taylor Swift isn't the greediest celebrity out there, it's Adele!" Patrycja tweeted.
The news comes as Billboard reports 3.6 million physical copies of the new album have been shipped across American stores.
According to the report, the last album to ship more units was NSYNC's No Strings Attached, which shipped 4.2 million back in 2000.
"We love and respect Adele, as do her 24 million fans on Spotify. We hope that she will give those fans the opportunity to enjoy 25 on Spotify alongside 19 and 21 very soon," Spotify said in a statement, confirming that its followers would not have access to the new album.
Angry fans, however, may soon give in to buying the album as reactions from those who have purchased it so far have been positive.
"Adele's voice is so soulful that everything she sings makes me sad, but it's a good sad," Sarah Chan said.
"I just wanna find Adele and give her a hug and tell her 'Everything is gonna be okay'," tweeted Paulo Nino.
Apple Inc did not immediately respond to requests for comment and other services, including Pandora and Google Play could not immediately be reached.
The album is the first by the British singer since 21 in 2011, which won six Grammys and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
New album 25 had been expected to sell more than one million units in North America alone in its first week, according to estimates by Billboard magazine last month.
The release follows record-breaking downloads and views for the first single Hello, which was released in October. As of this week, the video for Hello had racked up 400 million plays on YouTube.
The move by Adele and her management mirrors Swift's refusal to offer her album 1989 to streaming services. Swift, one of the most powerful names in pop music, made the decision after writing an op-ed on how artists should value their music and not offer it for free.
1989 went on to become the biggest-selling album in the world in 2014 with estimated sales of more than 8.5 million copies.
Swift in July agreed to put 1989 on Apple Music, days after it did an about-face and agreed to pay artists during a free trial of its new streaming music service.
Adele's 25 is currently available to buy through iTunes, Amazon and in-store.
