BON IVER - FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO.

[rimbaud76]

What happened to Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago"?  Seriously, Spotify, this kind of thing has been happening a lot again lately and you need to get it under control.

Please do not direct me to the FAQ...I want a real answer.  Thanks.

[jvielma]

Yes, seconded.  This is getting to be a common place event... I have had a good number of artistist, enough to notice the trend, removed from spotify.  But seriously, what gives with this one?  I, also, would really like a straight answer. 

Listen Spotify, I ain't mad at ya baby... Just concerned.  Concerned for us, and all the great times we've had in the past.  Great times that I like to revisit and have again, now and into the future.  So, snuggle up and tell me what gives...

Thank you,

A Loyal Listener

[ztien777]

I'm curious about this as well. 

I doubt it's due to a dispute with the record label, as the label (Jagjaguwar) also released "Bon Iver, Bon Iver" and that album is still on Spotify.

Spotify, can you announce when music is removed, please? And explain why?

[rimbaud76]

A.C. Newman's "Get Guilty" has been missing for a few months now while his first and most recent albums remain available.  All 3 were released by Matador.

I wouldn't be so bothered by issues like this if I wasn't paying $9.95 a month for Spotify.

[beepeezy]

Exactly! 10 bucks a month to not be able to access the music that was there before is 10 bucks too much

[David]

Hello.

Exactly why some albums or artists may be missing can be down to a multitude of different reasons. However, we aren't always disclosed this information as to why the artist, record label or rights holders would have removed an album from the service.

In the example of Bon Iver, it seems that "For Emma, Forever Ago" is currently unavailable in some countries. They might be gearing it up for a shiny re-release where you are, so it might be worthwhile taking a look at their social media channels to see if they have an announcement soon.

This is all speculation by the way. I don't know what they are planning.

[MaxieWoxy]

I have a problem with this response. First off, I don't think it's correct.

On the desktop version, if I go to search and enter "For Emma, Forever Ago", I can get to (and PLAY) the album via anyone who has it named as a playlist. In fact, I already had the album in one of my playlists named "Bon Iver" and if I go there, it is available for streaming. So it's out there, it just isn't showing up in search or on the Bon Iver artist "page".

Second, your explanation makes no sense. Why would Spotify remove it when you can buy it from Amazon or any other website, AND stream it in on a competitor's site like Rdio?

[David]

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@MaxieWoxy wrote:

I have a problem with this response. First off, I don't think it's correct.

On the desktop version, if I go to search and enter "For Emma, Forever Ago", I can get to (and PLAY) the album via anyone who has it named as a playlist. In fact, I already had the album in one of my playlists named "Bon Iver" and if I go there, it is available for streaming. So it's out there, it just isn't showing up in search or on the Bon Iver artist "page".

Second, your explanation makes no sense. Why would Spotify remove it when you can buy it from Amazon or any other website, AND stream it in on a competitor's site like Rdio?

---

Apologies if my reply was confusing. Allow me to clarify.

We very rarely (if ever) remove tracks. If an album isn't available, chances are the record label, rights holders or artists themselves have removed the tracks. If you can still stream the album, then great! The album should still be on the service for you.

Although not too sure why it isn't appearing in the album page anymore. Would you possibly have the album on your computer as MP3's by any chance? 

[rimbaud76]

I can only guess that MaxieWoxy must have "For Emma" in his/her playlist as local files.  The only track from "For Emma, Forever Ago" that is currently available on Spotify in the United States is "The Wolves."

That being said, does anyone from Spotify ever contact the record labels and ask why a certain album has gone missing?  Granted, getting a response from someone like Warner Brothers might be a little tough, but in cases with an indie label like this, I would think it should be very easy and would only take a simple e-mail or phone call.  I think Jagjaguwar would be more than happy to explain the situation - maybe they are completely unaware like Matador were the time the Pavement albums went missing.

[David]

Good point. I'll see if our content team can get in touch. You could also pop a message over to them on Twitter. I found some labels pretty responsive when I've got in touch with them on twitter!