Coldplay Keeping 'Mylo Xyloto' Off Streaming Services

Though it’s become hipster status-quo to hate them, if any one band could defy what’s becoming a beaten path for digital music distribution, it’s Coldplay.

The British multi-platinum Grammy winners released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, Oct. 24 to critical acclaim that’s become par for the band’s course. However, the album won’t be dominating Spotify or Rhapsody playlists.

That’s because, although those are rapidly becoming the rulers of the roost amid the growing popularity of legitimate free-streaming services, Coldplay and label EMI will only make the album available for purchase in stores and download via services like iTunes, according to reports from Billboard.

From early indicators, it doesn’t appear that the band will probably miss the traffic.

The album’s first single, “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall,” has wracked up a Nielson SoundScan tally of 763,000 sales so far, with Billboard estimating 440,000 to 450,000 album copies moved by Oct. 30. Though eschewing free-streaming services, as a special promotion, iTunes exclusively streamed a song per day from the album from Oct. 17-Oct. 24. Fans who pre-ordered the album had the single “Paradise” start immediately downloading upon completing the order.

I tend to agree with Billboard writer Ryan Nakashima that avoiding on-demand streaming will force listeners’ hands to actually go purchase the album. Rhapsody President Jon Irwin argued in a Billboard editorial published Oct. 23 that while 0.015 cent per play royalties on Spotify or 0.91 cent royalties from Rhapsody “seem awfully small” – especially compared with the 70-percent share of the $1.29 per track or $9.99 per album received from iTunes – it still beats the 100 percent of nothing received when someone pirates an album or single.

Irwin also argued that the ongoing royalties built up over time are a better investment and continuing revenue stream in the long run than one-time revenue from each iTunes download.

And that’s where I side with Nakashima’s point. Irwin isn’t taking into consideration that with decent ripping software – and there are a lot of good free programs online – anyone can stream music and rip it for absolutely nothing. Coldplay is at least taking away a pirate’s option.

Coldplay will be appearing Nov. 12 as "Saturday Night Live" musical guests. Lead singer Chris Martin has speculated publicly that he isn't sure the band could do another album after this one, though he did say the same thing in 2002 when Coldplay released their sophomore album A Rush Of Blood To The Head.