After a long time of running against the wind of the streaming music market, Bob Seger is bringing his old time rock n' roll into the digital realm.
The veteran rocker is now streaming 13 of his titles -- eight studio albums, three compilations and two live sets -- via Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, Napster and Slacker Radio. The albums will also be available for digital download. It marks the long-awaited arrival of Seger's music after a lengthy holdout during which fans have campaigned heartily on social media for the material to become available.
"It's an exciting day," Amazon Music vp Steve Boom tells Billboard. "Our listeners love rock music and have been asking for Bob in streaming for a long time. We know they will love it. Bob Seger is an amazing artist with songs and albums that stand the test of time, and we're thrilled he is now making his catalog available to stream on Amazon Music."
Troy Carter, Head of Creator Services at Spotify, adds, "Bob Seger wrote the soundtrack for generations of music fans lives. He's an American icon and true legend. It's exciting for us to not only be able to share Bob's music with his existing fans, but also to introduce him to new audiences around the world."
Seger does have a reputation as a slow adapter to new technologies. He did not begin releasing catalog titles on CD in earnest until 1989, and he only arrived on iTunes in 2011. The streaming move comes as Seger and his Silver Bullet Band are preparing for their Runaway Train Tour, which kicks off Aug. 24 in Toledo, and amidst reports of Seger working on a new album in Nashville, though no release details have been announced yet.
The Seger titles now streaming include Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (1969), Beautiful Loser (1975), Live Bullet (1976), Night Moves (1976), Stranger In Town (1978), Against The Wind (1980), Nine Tonight (1981), The Distance (1980), Like A Rock (1986), The Fire Inside (1991), Greatest Hits (1994), Greatest Hits 2 (2003) and Ultimate Hits: Rock And Roll Never Forgets (2011). Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, Beautiful Loser, Night Moves, Stranger In Town, Against The Wind, The Distance, Like A Rock, The Fire Inside, Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits 2 are making their digital download debuts as part of the campaign.
The representative calls this just the beginning of Seger streaming campaign, with other titles to be added in the future.
Since the “Nielsen Music era” began in 1991, Seger has sold 22.1 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.
His best-selling album in that span is Greatest Hits, which has sold 9.6 million copies. (It was released in 1994, so all sales are captured in the Nielsen window.) That album is also one of the 25 best-selling albums of the Nielsen era overall. (Metallica’s self-titled album tops that list, with 16.6 million in sales.)
