Why Spotify Removed Hank Williams Jr’s 'The Pressure Is On' and "Weatherman" From Streaming
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Why Spotify Removed Hank Williams Jr’s 'The Pressure Is On' and "Weatherman" From Streaming

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Hank Williams Jr. fans were shocked to discover one of his classic albums The Pressure Is On missing from Spotify. It appears that the streaming platform removed the album, which features "Weatherman" among others. But why?

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Taking a look at Spotify reveals other Hank Williams Jr. albums, so it's not as if the streaming service was boycotting the singer. A perplexed Spotify user took to the forums to try to get answers. They said Spotify listed its removal for "unknown reasons." A Spotify star, who is a longtime user, couldn't offer up much of an answer.

They wrote, "We know that Spotify would like to make all the world's music available, but this availability can vary over time and between countries, depending on the permissions from rights holders. On the other hand, new content is added to Spotify every day. If you can't find something you're looking for now, it may appear (or reappear) soon."

Officially, Spotify hasn't responded to the omission. However, the album was available until recently on the platform. It's likely that streaming rights are the issue behind the album's removal. From time to time, streaming services have to renew their rights with either the artist or record label to stream the content. Sometimes, a dispute over pay will cause the streaming service to remove the songs.

Hank Williams Jr. Fans Call Out Spotify

Unfortunately, there's no set timetable on when or if Spotify will bring the album back to streaming. In the meantime, it's a waiting game, and fans are not happy. One person wrote, "Wtf @Spotify deleting Hank Williams Jr.'s album The Pressure is On? What a disgusting act."

Another wrote about the missing album, "Wasnt gonna drink today but i just realized they removed weatherman by hank williams jr from spotify."

Still, another commented, "Why did you pull "Weatherman" and the album "The Pressure is On" by @HankJr Hank Williams Jr. off of your site? There is no reasonable explanation I can think of. Fix it or I will find another music streaming site."

Williams Jr. recorded the album The Pressure Is On in 1981. The singer's journey through music has been an interesting one. For a long time, Williams Jr. felt pressured to live in his father's shadow. It led to the musician attempting to take his own life.

"For a long time, it didn't matter. But boy, you start being... then it starts working on you," Williams told CBS. "He said, 'Let me just lay it out there for you. You've been taught from the time you can possibly remember to look like, act like, be like, everything exactly like your legendary father.' He said, 'They've done a d--n good job.' He said, 'And you're going to beat him because he died at 29. You're going to die at 26.'" From then on, Williams decided to strike out and follow his own path. Albums like The Pressure Is On showcased Williams' talent.