DEF LEPPARD's Entire Catalog Is Finally Available For Streaming And Download Across All Digital
DEF LEPPARD's full catalog of diamond, platinum and multi-platinum iconic albums is available to stream and download for the first time ever globally!
One of the last multi-platinum selling acts to be made available on streaming and download, DEF LEPPARD's tracks and albums can now be enjoyed by music fans from all corners of the globe.
Said singer Joe Elliott: "It is with a mixture of relief and euphoria that we now see our entire catalog finally getting a digital release. Having embraced every other format with open arms, especially and more recently the re-emergence of vinyl, we're now going to be available to everyone everywhere, and honestly, it's as exciting as the original releases were."
Added bassist Rick Savage: "Finally the wait is over! Our music is now available on all digital formats. Very excited. Thanks for your patience and continued support."
Guitarist Phil Collen also said: "We felt we'd been left out of the digital party but it's a thrill to us to finally accept the invitation and to be able to say, 'Yeah, you can stream us, download us and get us great on all of these digital outlets.'"
DEF LEPPARD titles now available across all streaming and download platforms include:
* The Def Leppard EP (1979) * On Through The Night (1980) * High 'N' Dry (1981) * Pyromania (1983) * Hysteria (1987) * Adrenalize (1992) * Retro Active (1993) * Vault (1995) * Slang (1996) * Euphoria (1999) * X (2002) * Yeah! (2006) * Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (2008) * Mirror Ball - Live & More (2011) * Def Leppard (2015)
In 2012, DEF LEPPARD began re-recording its biggest hits, including 1983's "Rock Of Ages"and 1987's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", as a way to offer its fans a digital option while at the same giving a giant middle finger to the band's longtime label Universal. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Allen and his bandmates did this because they were at one point able to negotiate a sweetheart of a deal wherein they had approval over everything that was done with their songs — from special collections to licenses for movies, TV shows and games and their very availability online.
Elliott told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2012 interview that the fight with Universal was "about principle." But, he admitted, "I'd be lying if I didn't say it was about money because the problem we've got is, they want to pay us what we think is a ridiculously low rate. It's a well-known fact: Artists throughout the years have always been shafted by record companies. … The reason we're being so sticky about it is because two years ago, we made a deal with a gentleman at Universal who was pretty much on our side — he was a fan, a smart businessman and a fair guy — and we shook hands. Fifteen days later, somebody above his head said the deal's not going through. To an Englishman, when you shake hands, it's a binding contract, and Universal reneged on it. So we dug in our heels and said, 'We're gonna say a blanket no to anything that you ask for.'"
As a result of the disagreement, Universal "can't release our back catalog, we're not going to let them put a song on a compilation unless we want it there, and they'll never be able to license," the singer said. "They won't be able to do anything without our permission because that's in our contract."
Elliott went on to say that the crux of the dispute centers on the fact that DEF LEPPARD wants "to get the same rate for digital as we do when we sell CDs, and they're trying to give us a rate that doesn't even come close. They illegally put up our songs for a while, paying us the rate they chose without even negotiating with us, so we had our lawyer take them down," he explained.
"We made a decision years ago that we would try and wrestle back control," he added. "And I think that's something to be applauded. We are just trying to own what we've done. We own our T-shirt deals, our own staging, and our own rights to make whatever decisions we want. We're not trying to milk our back catalog for billions of dollars, we're just trying to get paid a fair amount."
DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY will join forces for a massive co-headlining tour of North American stadiums and arenas. The 58-city trek will kick off on May 21 in Hartford, Connecticut and run through October 6 in Los Angeles.
Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, February 3 at LiveNation.com. Stay tuned for presale and VIP ticketing information.
