Black Sabbath's 1970s Albums Come to iTunes With Limited Exclusivity - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Black Sabbath's 1970s Albums Come to iTunes With Limited Exclusivity

by

A number of Black Sabbath's 1970s albums, including Paranoid and Masters of Reality have finally made their way to iTunes with limited exclusivity, according to The New York Times. Previously, only the band's later material was available on iTunes.

On Tuesday the band and its label, Warner Brothers, announced that iTunes had started selling its first eight studio albums, along with three compilations. But iTunes’ window of exclusivity is expected to be short. According to people briefed on the deal who were not authorized to speak about it, Black Sabbath’s music should come to streaming services in about a week.

blacksabbath
Tony Iommi, the band's lead guitarist, said that it had "been a long time trying to explain to fans why the music wasn't available." While there is no official explanation for the delay, it's widely believed a dispute between the band and Warner Music was the cause.

The eight studio albums are available on iTunes for $9.99 apiece, while the three compilations range from $9.99 to $59.99. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

161 months ago
It's nice that Apple acknowledges that there is a genre called "Metal", but Black Sabbath is certainly not in it. They're Rock, maybe Hard Rock, but not Metal.

Yes they are considered metal, they started the genre. Sure they aren't as heavy as metal is consider today, but the genre had to start somewhere and it started with Black Sabbath.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
161 months ago
Ha - no. It didn't start until nearly a decade later, with Metallica (I think. I'm not sure when exactly other early metal bands formed... Some were right about the same time as Metallica.)

You are out of your element, Donnie.

Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zepplin are considered the founders of metal. Judas Priest refined it, and THEN you started getting the thrash stuff you consider "metal".
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
161 months ago
And why the hell hasn't Apple added Indie to the genre list?? It's by far the most popular among older teens!

I'm an older teen and I'll take the Sabbath please.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roadbloc Avatar
161 months ago
It's nice that Apple acknowledges that there is a genre called "Metal", but Black Sabbath is certainly not in it. They're Rock, maybe Hard Rock, but not Metal.
Unless I'm mistaken, didn't Sabbath have something to do with starting the genre? Or at least I thought anyway.

Anyway, still Sabbath rule. I found their newest album surprisingly awesome.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hondo77 Avatar
161 months ago
It's nice that Apple acknowledges that there is a genre called "Metal", but Black Sabbath is certainly not in it. They're Rock, maybe Hard Rock, but not Metal.
Ha - no. It didn't start until nearly a decade later, with Metallica (I think. I'm not sure when exactly other early metal bands formed... Some were right about the same time as Metallica.)
There are so many wrongs in that, I don't even know where to begin.

----------

Led Zepplin metal? You surly are mad.
No, you're just too young to know that people were using "heavy metal" to describe bands during the 70s.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacGod Avatar
161 months ago
Really - read a book?!

Ha - no. It didn't start until nearly a decade later, with Metallica (I think. I'm not sure when exactly other early metal bands formed... Some were right about the same time as Metallica.)

You have no idea what you are talking about.

Early Metal is the genre from 66-71 and encompasses a few key acts like:
The Stooges, MC5, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix.

This spawned several other genre's including Hard Rock, and the Power, Progressive, Stoner, Glam and New Wave Metal genre's.

BS is considered a founder of today's metal movement.

Please research the definition of HEAVY METAL MUSIC.

I do acknowledge that it might be your OPINION that these bands are not the founders of metal - and truly they have nothing in common with today's Nu, Death or Black metal movements - but you would be wrong.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
airpods pro 3 pink

New Apple Card Holders Can Get Free AirPods Pro 3, But There's a Catch

Monday May 18, 2026 8:11 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new promotion offering new Apple Card holders the chance to earn back the cost of AirPods Pro 3 through monthly cash rebates, but there is a recurring spend requirement attached. Customers who open a new Apple Card account and purchase AirPods Pro 3 directly from Apple by June 15 will qualify. Starting July 1 and running through April 30, 2027, cardholders can earn $25 ...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...