The Music Streaming Forgot

Here I am again on my soapbox about artists preserving their catalogs on digital music platforms for future generations to discover.

Thanks to sites like Discogs, eBay, Wikipedia, and 45cat, I’m discovering more music from my favorite artists than ever before.

Did you know iconic country singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin recorded music under the name Ann Boleyn? Or that she was once part of a group called Frankie and Johnny?

Did you know Jennifer Nettles was part of two different bands before becoming one-half of the Grammy® Award-winning duo Sugarland?

Thanks to a couple of friends, I recently came across some vintage Sugarland music at an incredibly low price compared to what those same releases are currently selling for on Discogs and eBay.

But honestly, how much money should fans have to spend just to hear music that already exists? I’d much rather see that money go directly to the artists themselves than to third-party resellers.

At this point, it feels like there’s more unreleased-to-digital music from Sugarland and Jennifer Nettles than there is officially available digitally.

Jennifer Nettles - For Your Love/You’re The One [Cassette Single]
Jennifer and Cory - Jennifer and Cory [Cassette EP]
Soul Miner’s Daughter - The Sacred and Profane
Soul Miner’s Daughter - Hallelujah
Jennifer Nettles Band - Story Of Your Bones
Jennifer Nettles Band - Rewind
Jennifer Nettles Band - Gravity: Drag Me Down
Sugarland - Premium Quality Tunes
Sugarland - Sugar In The Raw (V.1)
Sugarland - Sugar In The Raw
Jennifer Nettles - An Acoustic Evening With Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles - Live From Eddie’s Attic II - An Acoustic Evening With Jennifer Nettles 12.31.2004

And that’s just the pre-major label stuff.

I have a full-time job that I genuinely love, but I also love discovering “new” music like this from artists I’ve followed for years. Over time, I’ve curated extensive lists of missing digital releases from artists including Jennifer Nettles, K.T. Oslin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eurythmics, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, Shelby Lynne, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Marie Osmond, Pam Tillis, and many more.

I’m thankful people like my friend Timothy at SuperVisible MultiMedia see the value in breathing new life into classic albums and making them available on Digital Service Providers (DSPs) for new generations of listeners to discover.

I’m probably never going to publish those lists above publicly… but if anyone in an A&R department at a major label is paying attention, I’d love to help.