Jason Aldean has joined Taylor Swift in her fight against music streaming subscription service Spotify. The "Burnin' It Down" singer recently removed his latest effort, Old Boots, New Dirt, from the service, admitting that he doesn't know what his future is with streaming platforms. Aldean's new album is a powerhouse on the charts and set a record for best debut week of a country artist on Spotify with more than three million streams. So, why pull the record from the popular service?
"The debate the whole music industry is having on streaming is complicated," he told the Associated Press. "And while I'm definitely paying attention to the business side of things, I am first and foremost an artist. I'm an artist whose career has been built by the songwriters, publishers, producers and engineers that line Music Row in Nashville. What they do has value, and I want everyone who is involved in making my music to be paid fairly. This is about trying to do what is right for the people who have given me a great life."
As Taste of Country notes, physical album sales and downloads have continued to fall while Spotify consistently charts growth.
Some in the country world are seemingly united on the trend with Swift's labelmates Brantley Gilbert and Justin Moore pulling their recent albums off Spotify as well.
Aldean's back catalog remains available on the service, for now.
"I don't know what the future holds or what my record label will ultimately decide to do with streaming partners, but for now, we made a mutual decision to hold my album back," he added.
Swift pulled her entire catalog of music off Spotify earlier this month.
