Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Adele is opting to restrict her upcoming album from streaming music services. "25," Adele's highly anticipated album set to release tomorrow, will not be available on Apple Music, Spotify, or other Internet-based streaming music services, reports The New York Times.

Citing three sources with knowledge of the album release plans, The New York Times says Adele was involved in the decision not to share her album on streaming music services. "25" is Adele's first album in nearly five years and has been preceded by "Hello," a single that's already extremely popular, so the decision to restrict the album from streaming services may make fans unhappy.

adele
Taylor Swift was one of the first major artists to take a stand against streaming music, opting to pull her songs from services like Spotify that offered a free listening tier. According to Swift, she did so because "music should not be free" and artists should value their work. It's likely Adele has similar motives, as restricting Swift's latest album "1989" from music sites did not significantly impact its popularity. "1989" sold upwards of 1.2 million copies during its first week of availability, and its believed Adele's new album could sell 2.5 million copies.

Swift initially refused to share her songs on Apple Music because Apple executives did not intend to pay artists during the Apple Music free trial period, but after the company reversed course, she too changed her mind and allowed Apple Music to stream "1989" and her other albums.

While Adele's new music will not be available on Apple Music, customers interested in obtaining the album will be able to purchase it through iTunes.

Adele had also asked Apple to stock her new album in its retail stores, but Apple declined the offer. It's not likely the refusal impacted Adele's decision not to offer her music on streaming sites, and Adele and Apple have also reportedly discussed a possible $30 million tour sponsorship. The status of that potential deal is not known.

Top Rated Comments

penajmz Avatar
130 months ago
Greedy. This is just to force people to buy the full album instead of just streaming it. My guess is this will also force lots of people to pirate it.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Asarien Avatar
130 months ago
I'll get by.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
130 months ago
So it's greedy for the record company to want to sell it via the channel they want - but it's not greedy to TAKE the album for free by receiving a pirated copy? Nice high ground there.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
130 months ago
Greedy. This is just to force people to buy the full album instead of just streaming it. My guess is this will also force lots of people to pirate it.
Exactly, it's just executive greed. Get with the times that this is how we want music now, or have you album likely torrented instead.
Still doesn't justify piracy. If you want it then buy it and if you don't want to buy it go without.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PowerBook-G5 Avatar
130 months ago
Goodbye.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seventhedition Avatar
130 months ago
Really finding it hard to justify my continued subscription to Apple Music if I can't get the music I want when it comes out. If I still have to buy certain songs/albums separately, why am I paying $10/month? Think I will cancel and go back to just purchasing the songs/albums I want.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...