It has finally happened! Def Leppard’s entire catalogue is available on all major streaming services.

After years of holding out, British rock legends, Def Leppard, have made their entire discography available for streaming. This move makes the list of artists we (read: I) actually want on streaming services way shorter. While the band’s older stuff can be found in compilations, most of the band’s major and recent releases never found their way onto the likes of Apple Music, Spotify, or Google Play Music.

Def Leppard, which has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, says that the streaming release comes with a “mixture of relief and euphoria”. Joe Elliot, Def Leppard lead singer says that they have embraced all other formats with open arms. He specifically mentions the re-emergence of vinyl, as one of excitement, and now couples it with digital streaming. He feels that the addition of digital to their portfolio, allowing their music to be accessible to “to everyone everywhere”, is just as exciting as when their music originally released. Adding to that thought is guitarist Phil Collen, who states that the band was left out of “the digital party” and that it is a thrill to finally accept the invitation.

Billboard notes that the reason for the long wait was due to a dispute between Def Leppard’s former label and its licensing. Apparently the former label was hesitant to make the band’s older music available for download and streaming. This is what spurred Elliot and his band to re-record some of the older material just to get it on iTunes.

When asked, Elliot told Billboard that when “you’re at loggerheads with an ex-record label” one that will not let you make your music available, there is not much you can do since “that is the way it’s going to be”. In response, the band essentially “remastered” their biggest hits and told the label to ‘get stuffed’. Thanks to a tiny loophole in the contract, they managed to keep the songs on iTunes, until now. Since then, Universal Music Group, who has acted as the formal label, has resolved the dispute with the band. The result is, quite clearly, a very happy band and a bunch of happy fans who can now stream their music online.

Major streaming services participating in the re-release include Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Google Play Music. Here is the full list of albums that are now available to stream:

  • 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)

[Sources: Billboard, Engadget, Esquire]

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.