Line #41 Main/DenialOfDigitalDistribution


1	Digital distribution has a lot of advantages. You don't need to press any [=CDs=], [=DVDs=], or whatever. You don't have to package them, store them, ship them or manage stock. Also, your customers can't resell their copies of the work. Still, there are some creators who insist on only using physical releases. There are a few reasons why. The creator may feel that the physical release becomes more special if there's no digital equivalent. Maybe licensing issues prevent a digital release. If the work is ''very'' obscure and its fanbase vastly prefers owning physical copies, the market for a digital release may be so tiny that even paying the small fee to get it on a service like iTunes isn't worth it.
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3	{{Doujin\|shi}} works often fall under Denial of Digital Distribution. A common explanation is copyright: Many of them are derivative works, and while IP owners are typically willing to ignore people who sell a limited number of physical copies, they may [[ScrewedByTheLawyers take action]] if you're selling a theoretically unlimited number of them digitally. And even if the work is fully original, the creators may feel that digital distribution goes against the "doujin spirit".
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5	In many other cases, digital distribution does exist, but is restricted in some way. Common patterns include the following (note that some don't require a physical release):
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7	* '''Denial of Streaming''': You can purchase the work digitally, but it's not on services like Spotify or Netflix. The usual justification is that the streaming services [[UsefulNotes/HollywoodAccounting pay creators too little]] -- if this argument is used, expect debates on whether the creator's stance is justified, or they're just being greedy. In some cases, the creator will allow the work to be on certain streaming services, but not others. Especially when they own the streaming service(s) it is available on.
8	* '''Delayed Digital Distribution''': The digital equivalent of LateExportForYou, but usually not as severe. Presumably, the creator hopes that impatient fans will buy the physical release, but still wants people who wouldn't have done that anyway to have the option to buy it digitally. Delayed Digital Distribution can also happen if the creator was initially opposed to digital distribution, but later changed their mind and made their work(s) available.
9	* '''Delayed Streaming''': A combination of the above. You can purchase the work digitally on its release day, but if you want to stream it, you'll have to wait. This is obviously done to encourage people to buy the work, which is usually more profitable than streaming.[[note]]Most music streaming services pay the label less than a cent per stream, so unless you stream a song a ''lot'', they're better off if you just buy it for $1, even if iTunes takes a 30% cut.[[/note]] A particularly mild version of this is Spotify's option to let artists keep their music off the free tier for the first two weeks.
10	* '''Bad Digital Distribution''': The digital equivalent of BadExportForYou -- the digital copies are watered down compared to the physical ones. Typically, this happens because the creator wanted you to buy it physically instead (e.g. a digital album release missing a bonus track), or because rights issues affect specific parts of the work (e.g. a song being removed because someone who worked on it didn't want it to be on the digital version). Alternatively, the digital version is somehow more expensive than the physical release despite having no extra content.
11	* '''Region-Specific Digital Distribution''': The digital equivalent of NoExportForYou. Manufacture and shipping costs don't apply to digital releases, so in many cases, you might as well release your work worldwide if you're releasing it digitally at all. Still, this doesn't always happen. Maybe licensing issues prevent a worldwide release. Maybe the creators thought an English translation would be too expensive to be justified, but they didn't want to [[NoDubForYou release it untranslated]] either. [[ValuesDissonance Maybe they feared that cultural differences would get the work in hot water.]] Or maybe there's no obvious reason at all, and it's just a case of favoritism or nationalism... or just an oversight.
12	* '''Partial Digital Distribution''': The digital equivalent of MissingEpisode. Some of the creator's work is available digitally, but not all. Maybe the missing works are [[CreatorBacklash the ones the creator would rather forget anyway]]. Maybe there are some rights issues that only affect some of the creator's works. Maybe it's just an oversight.
13	* '''Limited Digital Copies''': There's only a limited number of digital copies available. This can serve to pacify licensors who don't want you to sell too many copies, but in most cases, its only purpose is pressuring you to buy the thing right now because it might be gone soon -- a concept generally known as the "fear of missing out" (FOMO). Alternatively, the digital release is time-limited -- again, to pressure you to buy it before it's gone.
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15	If there's no digital distribution and the physical copies go out of print, the work will fall under KeepCirculatingTheTapes. Compare MissingEpisode, TemporaryOnlineContent, LateExportForYou, BadExportForYou and NoExportForYou.
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17	Fortunately, you can expect this to become increasingly rare in the near future, as steaming continues to reign supreme over physical media, more streaming services are established, and companies work hard to get as many works available on digital as possible.
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19	!!Examples
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
22	* This was the longest practice from Creator/StudioGhibli, which refused to put out their movies on streaming services. Though that changed in 2020 with Creator/HBOMax and Creator/{{Netflix}} gaining rights to distribute them, as Ghibli needed the money to fund the production of ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''.
23	* For several years, Creator/NaokiUrasawa refused to release any of his works digitally due to his personal preference for print over digital. He would eventually soften his stance by allowing a digital release of his series ''Asadora'' ([[NoExportForYou albeit only for the Japanese market]]).
24	* After the Nintendo Anime Channel was discontinued in 2018, the company refused to re-release ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' on any streaming service after that.
25	* For the first few years of Creator/VizMedia's digital manga service, ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' was not available despite Viz being the sole manga rights holder in English. The most used explanation was that Yoshihiro Togashi, the author, had been on hiatus since Viz transitioned to its current format, so with no new material to show, Viz would have no reason to put it up. Hence, the only legal way to consume back material was to buy the manga volumes in book format, which were still in print and available at bookstores; or via one of two anime adaptations, both of which are far behind the manga in what they've adapted. This changed in late 2022, when Togashi ended his hiatus and the entire backlog of the series was made available on the service alongside the new chapters.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Comic Books]]
29	* ''ComicBook/TheTick'' has never been distributed digitally, and likely never will be, as publisher New England Comics is in the brick-and-mortar comic-store business, and thus would not allow a digital alternative.
30	* Frank Miller Presents is an independent comic publisher founded by Creator/FrankMiller in 2022 that currently only caters to comic stores, with works under its imprint not available on digital platforms or online retailers.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
34	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' was an example of this for a long time, with Gary Larson disallowing any official releases of his work except in book collections and calendars, although fans posted the strips online ''unofficially'' with great frequency. He eventually relented in late 2019, with the strip's website relaunched to become its official online home.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Film - Animated]]
38	* All North American releases of ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'' (VHS and DVD in 2000 and Blu-ray as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive in 2021) cut the opening segment "The Martins and the Coys" because of its massive gunplay. There's also some digital censorship in "All the Cats Join In". Home video releases in other regions, such as the UK and Japan, got an entirely uncut version which also exists on Disney Channel airings in the 80s and 90s. No plans to stream the film on Creator/DisneyPlus have been announced as of 2023, currently making it the only film in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon to be completely excluded, with the exception of clips from "Blue Bayou".
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
42	* Per Creator/KevinSmith, due to Creator/{{Disney}} trying to jettison any involvement they had with ''{{Film/Dogma}}'', the movie's home distribution rights ended up solely in the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Because the movie isn't currently available to stream and is very unlikely to become so under Weinstein's control (especially since Weinstein's downfall and conviction for sex offenses has made any future negotiations for the rights near impossible), Smith has stated that he'd almost certainly have to pay a ransom to get the rights back and get the movie online.
43	* ''Film/{{Spellbound\|1945}}'' remains exclusive to various out of print physical media editions, and has never been released on any streaming service.
44	* Due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic closing theatres during the first little while and the need to boost Creator/HBOMax, ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' was released both in theaters wherever possible plus on the (then-US only) aforementioned streaming service. Some unlucky countries haven't had any legal access to the movie at all for months such as France, where theaters were shut down for long stretches of time. There, the film was prevented from being put either on video-on-demand or limited streaming around Christmas 2020 because of the "Chronology of the Media" laws (it would eventually be released DirectToVideo there in April 2021, both physical and digitally). It ended up the most pirated movie of 2020 in France as a result.
45	* All of the streaming versions of ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'', ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' are the Special Editions with the 2011-'19 changes. The various VHS and Laserdisc versions have superior audio to any of the modern format releases, in addition to most copies having Han shoot first. Even the theatrical cut Limited Edition DVD (which has worse picture and sound than the Laserdiscs) has better audio than the streaming versions.
46	* Due to being one of Disney's most infamous old shames, ''{{Film/Song of the South}}'' was ruled out from ever releasing on Disney+ by then-CEO Bob Iger in the lead-up to the service's launch.
47	* Four Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein movies disappeared from digital retailers in 2023, as did Creator/DisneyPlus's uploads of ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'' (one of the service's launch titles) and ''Film/{{Oklahoma}}''. ''Film/TheKingAndI'' in particular disappeared beyond the end of the year. ''Oklahoma!'', along with 1958's ''Film/SouthPacific'', was released onto [=YouTube=] and Amazon Prime Video in October 2023, and other retailers in early '24, due to Disney's distribution rights having expired and Samuel Goldwyn Films taking them over. ''[=TSoM=]'' returned to Disney+ and other retailers in December 2023.
48	* In May 2023, several Creator/DisneyPlus original movies, including ''Film/TheOneAndOnlyIvan'', ''Better Nate Than Ever'', and the 2022 remake of ''Literature/CheaperByTheDozen'' were pulled from the service, and, aside from the soundtracks for the former two, were unavailable to stream anywhere. Some have been made available for digital sale, including the three mentioned, but not all. Speaking of Disney+, more films (this time not original films for the service) were pulled from the service in the EMEA regions in February 2024, including films such as ''Film/ThatDarnCat'' and even ''Film/HelloDolly'' this time round.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Franchises]]
52	* Many {{doujin\|shi}} circles rearrange ''VideoGame/KanColle'' music and release it on physical albums, but can't/don't release them digitally.
53	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Its creator ZUN allowed a lot of fan works, but his guidelines specifically prohibited sale of fan works via sites primarily oriented for overseas customers (this includes stuff like iTunes and the App Store). Many creators didn't even use Japan-only download sites. This started to change in the late 2010s: After ''VideoGame/TouhouTenkuushouHiddenStarInFourSeasons'' was released on Platform/{{Steam}} in late 2017, ZUN also started allowing ''Touhou'' fan games to use Steam as long as they follow his not-that-strict guidelines. About a year later, a label that publishes Music/TouhouFanMusic on iTunes and Google Play Music appeared. Their releases are available internationally, though they're delayed, streaming only became available in 2021, ''many'' circles are still absent, and most of the ones who are there haven't made their full discographies available.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
57	* When ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' was made available for streaming on Tubi TV in April 2021, [[https://corporate.tubitv.com/press/tubi-to-become-exclusive-home-to-three-seasons-of-iconic-childrens-series-barney-friends-beginning-april-9 only Seasons 7-12 were released there]], rather than the entire series. In fact, the first six seasons have never been released for streaming, but the official Barney [=YouTube=] channel has re-posted some formerly unofficial uploads of some older stuff.
58	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' got hit by this in two different ways over the years:
59	** For a time during TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium, fan-made audio-plus-telesnap reconstructions of {{Missing Episode}}s were only distributed on analogue VHS, to prevent them from being made widely available on the Internet, which might have brought IP complaints from the BBC.
60	** For a while, large chunks of the classic series were not available on streaming platforms. The revival series and many more acclaimed classic-era serials were up, but the majority of them were relegated to DVD-only status. This eventually changed with the advent of Britbox, and later [=BBCiPlayer=], which features every surviving episode of the classic series available to watch (and in the latters' case, also includes the 1998 TV Movie).
61	* Within the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'', ''Series/UltramanTiga'' (as well as the last two episodes of its successor ''Series/UltramanDyna'', which crossed over with ''Tiga'' in the series finale) is consistently missing from streaming services due to Johnny & Associates, the talent agency representing lead actor Hiroshi Nagano, having draconian restrictions on the usage of the likenesses of their clients, especially on the Internet; Creator/TsuburayaProductions' contract with them signed in 1996 cleared home video releases, TV reruns and foreign TV broadcasts but it sure couldn't have accounted for digital streaming. The 2021 compilation clip show ''Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes' Odyssey'', which is available for streaming, had to UnPerson Nagano to get clear (for a better comparison for Western readers, that would be equivalent to alternate cuts of Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse films where Tony Stark is never seen outside of his Iron Man suit in order to avoid shots of Creator/RobertDowneyJr).
62	** Additionally, importing countries who didn't want to write their own AlternativeForeignThemeSong for the series (such as Malaysia) had to wait until Tsuburaya contracted a different artist, Tatsuya Maeda, to cover the opening theme "Take Me Higher", delaying export significantly - all this because Johnny's also flat out forbids exporting of the theme which is performed by their group Music/{{V6}}. Indeed, the version of the song on the ''Ultraman Tiga'' soundtrack is the Tatsuya Maeda cover instead of the master track, indicating a licensing issue with the song even within Japan as well.
63	** Surprisingly in 2022, Shout Factory, under its Tokushoutsu label was able to show the series with Daigo intact with only the opening being changed. Funny enough, the ad that was shown on Platform/YouTube does not include Daigo even though Dyna and Gaia host were shown indicating Shout Factory were walking a tightrope on what they're allowed to show.
64	* ''Series/TheSaint'': All the black and white episodes, the two-parter episodes (and their film versions) and [[BannedEpisode "The Gadic Collection"]] are all excluded from Britbox, for the last-one, it was for the same reason why [=ITV4=] does not want to show it. Fortunately, [=ITVX=] has one of the film version of the two-parter episodes there.
65	* Due to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers music rights issues,]] only a select number of episodes of ''Series/JacksBigMusicShow'' are legally available for purchase in the United States, and the show is not streaming on Creator/ParamountPlus. However, the album for season one is available on several music streaming platforms.
66	* In March 2024, Creator/ParamountPlus removed several shows from its' service, including ''Series/RyansMysteryPlaydate'', which not only had episodes available for digital purchase on platforms like [=iTunes=] and Amazon following its' removal, but the last ten episodes vanished from said digital platforms following its' removal.
67	* Due to the show not going with PoliticallyCorrectHistory thanks in part of having scenes of blackface minstrels, ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'' is pretty much excluded from Britbox and ITVX.
68	* ''Series/TheGoodies'': The nineth and final season of the show produced by LWT and some episodes of the show's [=BBC=] era are excluded from Britbox and ITVX.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Music]]
72	* Usually, whenever a record label goes out of business, its entire discography goes out of print, thus enforcing KeepCirculatingTheTapes.
73	** Out of print albums, especially albums released before 2003, the year that the iTunes Store launched.
74	** Compilation albums, especially those that contain songs licensed from multiple record companies.
75	* Music/{{Aaliyah}}'s music from Creator/JiveRecords is widely available on digital platforms, most notably her debut album, ''Age Ain't Nothing but a Number'' (1994). However, before September 2021, all her subsequent music--from her time at Blackground Records-- was unavailable from streaming services [[https://www.complex.com/music/2016/12/aaliyahs-music-isnt-online-and-her-uncle-barry-hankerson-is-the-reason-why due to the refusal of Aaliyah's uncle and manager, Barry Hankerson]].
76	* Music/{{ACDC}} held out of iTunes until 2012, because the band's then-latest album had an exclusive distribution deal with Wal-Mart and Verizon.
77	* Only one Music/{{AdamKadmon}} album -- the compilation album ''sand'' -- has been released digitally.
78	* Music/AkatsukiRecords is a major ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' arrangement circle whose music has appeared in {{Rhythm Game}}s. It took two years for their music to become available digitally.
79	* Music/AlstroemeriaRecords: Most albums released before ''POP CULTURE 4'' or after ''IMAGINARY JOURNEY'' are missing from iTunes.
80	* Music/AmaterasRecords:
81	** The songs "Indomitable Spirit", "Flying!", "Question." and "Conflict" (including remixes) have been removed from every digital release due to Konami licensing.
82	** ''Brilliant Story'' and its instrumental version both miss the last track. Similarly, ''Sparkling Alteration'' and its instrumental version both miss the last two tracks (possibly because they come from the ''TOHO PARTYBOX'' series).
83	* Music/AOne: Their early albums (such as ''POLYGON RAIN'') lack digital releases. Additionally, the digital releases of ''MONTAGE Blue'' and ''MONTAGE Yellow'' have had the ''VideoGame/KanColle'' track removed.
84	* The songs by the Canadian band The Arrows, which include "Meet Me in the Middle", "Talk Talk" and "Heart of the City", are not available for streaming.
85	* Music/TheBeatles: Before 2010, the band refused to license its music for digital downloads because of legal issues between Apple Records (the band's personal record label) and Creator/{{Apple}} Inc. (which owns iTunes). In 2015, the Beatles' catalogue was finally added to streaming services.
86	* Music/{{Beyonce}}'s ''Lemonade'' was released on Tidal on April 23, 2016, and made available for digital purchase the following day. Physical copies became available on May 6. However, the album first appeared on Spotify and Apple Music three years after its initial release.
87	* For some reason, the streaming release of ''The Worst of the Brent Lee Band'' is missing Track 4: "The Water Song". The iTunes Store used to have an extra release of the album that ''does'' include the song, but it was removed in late 2023.
88	* Music/GarthBrooks is notorious for not putting his music on digital platforms for two reasons: he dislikes the payment models provided by most streaming services, and because he thinks that being able to purchase individual songs takes away from the integrity of the album. He did start his own streaming service called [=GhostTunes=] for a short time, and has made some of his later albums available on Amazon Music, but the rest are unaccounted for and can only be purchased physically.
89	* In 2018, Music/{{BUTAOTOME}} made their old ''Touhou'' albums available digitally. However, their old original albums (''Bowling'', ''Chess'', ''Billiards'', ''Hanafuda'' and ''Doubt'') did not get digital re-releases. Neither did the Solo Buta-R album ''Kaen Ranzen'', which features guest arrangers from other circles.
90	* [[Music/CClays C-CLAYS]] have released over 70 [=CDs=]. Only ''SOLE'', ''LUNA'', ''YES!'' and ''CORE'' are sold digitally. Notably, these albums do not feature vocalist Mai Kotohge, but several MUONKAGURA albums featuring her are available.
91	* While the bulk of Music/CaptainBeefheart's discography was readily available to stream, his seminal album ''Music/TroutMaskReplica'' was absent from digital services for several years, due to Music/FrankZappa's estate (who own the rights to the album) being preoccupied with reissues of Zappa's back catalog. In 2021, ''Trout Mask Replica'' [[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/trout-mask-replica-captain-beefheart-streaming-1193345/ would finally receive a streaming release]], premiering on the hi-res service Qobuz and making its way to other services after a month.
92	* The digital releases of Music/{{CrazyBeats}}'s albums are missing the remixed [[Music/AOne A-One]] tracks.
93	* Music/DeLaSoul had been eager to digitally release their catalogue for years, which was an astonishingly uphill battle. Their original record label contracts only cleared [[{{Sampling}} the many samples used in their music]] for physical media distribution (specifically vinyl and cassette), with [[ReadTheFinePrint the wording]] leaving releases on [[TechnologyMarchesOn developing technologies of the future like the internet]] in limbo. Up until 2017, the distribution rights to their music were owned by Creator/WarnerMusicGroup, who were reluctant to clear the samples or renegotiate contracts, but things changed when Tommy Boy Records reclaimed its back catalogue from Warners, with De La Soul announcing in 2019 that their music would finally become available in that year... [[HopeSpot before it was postponed indefinitely]] as they were unsatisfied [[ScrewedByTheNetwork only receiving 10% of the royalties, with Tommy Boy pocketing the rest]]. After attempts to settle the dispute ended in failure, things only changed again when Tommy Boy itself was acquired by Reservoir Media in 2021, who began directly cooperating with the trio to get a digital release, with the trio successfully claiming full ownership of their music. On March 3, 2023, De La Soul's catalog was finally released onto streaming services.
94	* {{Doujin\|shi}} circle Music/{{Halozy}} has suspended all of their activities in October 2017 with no plans to return to the doujin music industry. As of January 2020, none of their albums are available digitally, despite rumors flying about that they are.
95	* The last of the three studio albums by Headpins, titled ''Head Over Heels'', is not available for streaming. However, three songs from it are featured on ''The Complete Greatest Hits'', which ''is'' available for streaming.
96	* A little of [[Music/{{BEMANI}} Kanako Hoshino]]'s music is on Spotify and iTunes, but ''EIGHT ELEMENTS OF THE STAR'', ''EIGHT ELEMENTS OF THE STAR ~ANOTHER SENSE~'', ''Prism'', ''Starry ~the way to the SIRIUS~'', ''Articulation'' and ''Sky Arium'' are missing.
97	* Outsider musician Music/{{Jandek}} has exclusively made his music available via mail order or, in recent years, his online storefront and has never released it onto streaming services or digital storefronts. Out of his prolific catalog, only three songs are available for streaming - "They Told Me I Was A Fool", "Time and Space" and "The World Stops", all licensed to various artist compilations or soundtrack albums.
98	* For some reason, the final album by the Albertan artist Paul Janz is the only one available for streaming.
99	* Music/{{Jojo}}'s first two albums, ''[=JoJo=]'' (2004) and ''The High Road'' (2006) are unavailable digitally in their original forms. This relates to her contractual battle with her original label, the aforementioned Blackground Records. After she was released, [=JoJo=] eventually re-recorded her first two albums and re-release them with redone vocals and production. Eventually, with a deal made to put Aaliyah's albums on streaming in 2021, [=JoJo=]'s original albums eventually followed suit.
100	* Music/KidRock formerly denied his music from appearing on digital or streaming services, which notoriously resulted in his 2008 hit "All Summer Long" underperforming on the charts relative to not one but ''two'' karaoke versions. He has since made his music digitally available.
101	* Music/KingCrimson are widely considered ''the'' most famous case of this across media: de-facto leader Music/RobertFripp spent the better part of two decades openly reviling digital distribution for the low royalties artists received from it and did everything he could to ensure that the band's music could only be listened to on a physical format. Alongside Music/{{Prince}}, Fripp's affinity for going after even fan uploads became the stuff of legend among fans, and the idea of King Crimson appearing on digital platforms was treated as wishful thinking at ''best''... which made it all the more surprising when the entire King Crimson catalog was added to Spotify in 2019, with other platforms following suit over the course of the next few months.
102	* Due to Music/TheKLF choosing to [[BuryYourArt delete their entire discography]] upon disbanding in the 1990s, long before the advent of digital distribution, their music was completely unavailable for streaming for years. This was eventually averted in 2021 when the band released a greatest hits compilation and a revised version of their album ''Chill Out''[[note]]with the samples that couldn't be cleared removed and the title changed to ''Come Down Dawn''[[/note]] to streaming services.
103	* Music/{{Lostprophets}}: The band's discography went out of print following frotnman Ian Watkins' conviction for child sexual abuse. Sony Music's license to their first three albums expired in 2020, but those albums are still available in the UK (through Visible Noise Records).
104	* The Music/TouhouFanMusic circle Maikaze put their music on Spotify, but it had to be removed because ZUN, the ''Touhou'' creator, didn't allow it. Their music then saw authorized re-releases on a few digital platforms without the possibility of streaming... and the label later decided to put ''Touhou'' music on streaming services after all, effectively restoring the Spotify releases.
105	* The digital releases of Kim Mitchell's GreatestHitsAlbum are missing the intro and outro, titled "Transcendental Soda" and "Hare Soda", respectively.
106	* Music/MonochromeCoat have released 19 albums. Only ''LOCK'' is available digitally.
107	* Despite being widely considered one of Music/NewOrder's best albums, ''Music/{{Substance\|NewOrderAlbum}}'' remained absent from streaming and digital download platforms all the way until 2020, by which point the rest of their studio discography had already been put up. Even after it finally got included, the version used was the CD one, leaving the cassette-exclusive songs in KeepCirculatingTheTapes purgatory.
108	* Despite being one of of the few ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' arrangement circles to make albums almost exclusively in English (and ''good'' English at that -- not GratuitousEnglish), ORANGE JAM hasn't published its music via the label that distributes ''Touhou'' music internationally on iTunes and Google Play Music.
109	* The streaming releases of the PFFR album ''United We Doth'' have some of the tracks mislabeled and are missing two tracks, including Music/SnoopDogg's outro.
110	* Music/PizuyasCell normally doesn't use digital distribution. However, the circle did sell some cheap digital compilations for Black Friday 2019. These releases were both time-limited and quantity-limited.
111	* Music/{{Prince}} was constantly an infamously vocal opponent of most digital distribution services; like most major artists, he decried the low royalties they provided, and the only platform he ''did'' embrace was the paywall-heavy Tidal. Prince's music wouldn't be made available on more accessible platforms until after his death in 2016, with most people darkly crediting it to the fact that him being dead meant that he could no longer object to his songs being on [=YouTube=] or Spotify.
112	* Music/{{Queen}} + Paul Rodgers' ''The Cosmos Rocks'' is the only full original studio album under the Queen name not currently available digitally, [[BuryYourArt possibly because it was a relative commercial and critical flop]]. Also the case with the 1997 compilation ''Queen Rocks'', which notably included exclusive TheNotRemix versions of some songs [[note]]"I Can't Live with You" added new drum and guitar tracks to the original recordings, a few other tracks are unique "hybrid" mixes combining elements of their respective album and single versions[[/note]] and one new song sung by Music/BrianMay, "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)".
113	* For a long while, Music/{{Radiohead}} openly refused to make their material officially available on any digital platform (barring ''Music/InRainbows'' and its "pay what you want" service), citing issues with the way they operated in regards to artist royalties. They eventually changed their opinion in 2016, with almost their entire backlog being made available on all digital download and streaming platforms as part of the Radiohead Public Library, a wider project that saw their backlog RereleasedForFree. The only song ''not'' put up was "Pop is Dead", a huge source of CreatorBacklash for the band.
114	* While a live version was released in 2011, the 1983 studio version of the Music/{{Saga}} album ''Heads or Tales'' wasn't released digitally until 2019.
115	* [[Music/SeventhHeavenMaxion Seventh Heaven MAXION]] started publishing its albums on [=DLSite=] and [=MelonbooksDL=] in early 2016, but there are still eleven albums it never got around to re-releasing. Additionally, the offered downloads are lossy.
116	* There's an unusual case with Sheriff's SelfTitledAlbum, which is also their only album. For some reason, the CD and digital releases end after the false ending of the final song, "Give Me Rock 'N' Roll", therefore making people think that it's the real ending. The vinyl and cassette releases have the full ending.
117	* Music/ShinRaBansho: The albums ''Season 4 you'', ''M other'', ''On That Day, I Looked Up at the Sky'', ''Doppel'' and the original ''Ano Hi no Yume no Alice'' are missing from the digital marketplaces that offer their music. Also, ''Touhou Utattemita'' lacks "Hoshi wo Mawase Tsuki yori Hayaku"
118	* Most of Music/SoundHolic's discography is available digitally, but there are some exceptions, and the digital releases tend to come later than most albums that were released at the same event.
119	* Almost every release by Music/{{Swans}} is readily available on digital services... with the glaring exception of their sixth studio album ''The Burning World'', presumably due to the fact that frontman Michael Gira doesn't look back on the album fondly.
120	* Music/TaylorSwift has [[https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/9/15767986/taylor-swift-apple-music-spotify-statements-timeline a history of Denial of Streaming]]: Her album ''1989'' did not appear on Spotify when it was released in October 2014, and the rest of her catalogue was removed the next month. In March 2015, all of her music except ''1989'' was put on Tidal (which doesn't have a free tier). In June 2015, she refused to put her music on Apple Music because she thought it was unfair that artists wouldn't see any royalties from streams during the three-month free trial. Apple acquiesced to her demand, and the following week, she announced that ''1989'' would stream for the first time on Apple Music (alongside her back catalogue). However, she didn't want to put it on other services yet. As of 2017, her music is back on Spotify, and also available on Pandora and Google Play Music. Interestingly, in December 2015, a sneaky troll committed copyright infringement by disguising Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble" under the name of Welsh rock band Music/{{Lostprophets}}.
121	* [[Music/SyncArtS SYNC.ART'S]]: Its first three collaboration albums with Lunark have been released on multiple digital platforms, though it was a while after their physical releases. Out of all its non-collaboration albums, only ''Kitty'' is available digitally.
122	* Music/TearsForFears: Despite being owned in North America by [[Creator/UniversalMusicGroup the same parent company]] as the band's Creator/MercuryRecords albums, ''Music/EverybodyLovesAHappyEnding'' was conspicuously absent from streaming services worldwide until 2020, when the band signed with the management company Full Stop. Before then, the only part of the album to be officially available on a streaming platform was the music video for "Closest Thing to Heaven", which Ear Music uploaded in 2012.
123	* [[Music/{{BEMANI}} TERRA]]: Their first album ''REVOLUTION'' was not released digitally at all. Their second album ''EVOLUTION'' was... but not for Europe.
124	* Electronic musician Terre Thaemlitz refuses to put her releases on streaming services and takes down any fan uploads she can find, out of protest to the policies of companies like [=YouTube=] and [=SoundCloud=] but also to avoid her music falling into the hands of people she disagrees with ideologically. Her Bandcamp allows streaming and downloads of select albums with "not enough interest for a physical repress", but the only legal way those interested in her work as DJ Sprinkles (including the CultClassic album ''Midtown 120 Blues'') can listen to her music is by purchasing directly through her website.
125	* Music/{{Tool}} initially resisted releasing their catalogue to streaming services, although in 2017 they were reported to be considering it, and finally did release their albums digitally in August 2019, just before the debut of ''Fear Inoculum''.
126	* [[Music/UndeadCorporation UNDEAD CORPORATION]]:
127	** The Unlucky Morpheus collaboration album ''Parallelism gamma'' is not available digitally even though both of the participating groups are okay with digital distribution.
128	** The digital release of ''Am I already dead?'' doesn't include the screamless version of track 8. Similarly, ''Japanese ogre story'' doesn't include the instrumental/screamless versions.
129	* Music/UnluckyMorpheus:
130	** The original versions of ''Hypothetical Box'', ''REBIRTH'' and ''Jealousy'' are not available digitally. Neither are the {{instrumental\|s}} versions of ''REBIRTH'' and ''Jealousy''.
131	** The albums ''Faith and Warfare'', ''HEAVY METAL BE-BOP'' and ''Miseria Kills Slaughterously'' are not available for digital purchase.
132	** The UNDEAD CORPORATION collaboration album ''Parallelism gamma'' is not available digitally even though both of the participating groups are okay with digital distribution.
133	* Despite critical and commercial success, Music/VanHalen's 2012 reunion album ''A Different Kind Of Truth'' disappeared from streaming services in 2022. This was in part because the contract for streaming expired, but Wolfgang Van Halen, who played bass on the album, basically spelled out that vocalist David Lee Roth didn't like the album and wasn't cooperating on bringing it back. Performances of three of the album's songs remained available to stream as part of the LiveAlbum ''Tokyo Dome Live in Concert''.
134	* The self-titled debut album from Welsh sophisti-pop duo Waterfront, which included their SignatureSong "Cry" (a top 10 hit in both the US and UK), was first released in 1989, but never available digitally until 2020.
135	* Music/KanyeWest:
136	** His album ''Music/TheLifeOfPablo'' was originally a Tidal exclusive, and West vowed that it would never appear on any other services [than Tidal], nor would it ever be for sale. It was released on other streaming services and for digital purchase on his website on April 1, 2016.
137	** In 2022, West's ''Donda 2'' took it to an even greater extreme than ''Pablo'': not only would it not receive a release on streaming services or digital stores, it would also be exclusive to the Donda Stem Player, a device costing $200 USD. This led to Billboard disqualifying the album from its records charts, as the nature of it being tied exclusively to a physical device fell under their criteria for a "bundling", not as a proper album release.
138	* Music/{{Whitey}}, out of frustration with major record companies, began selling his music exclusively through Bandcamp and as physical copies.
139	* Music/XiuXiu: The song "Black Dick" was abruptly removed from all streaming services and digital copies of ''Angel Guts: Red Classroom'' in late July 2023; the only legal ways to listen to it now are either owning a physical release or having a previously-downloaded digital copy. The band has yet to address the reason why, though most fans figure the song's [[BrokenBase long-controversial]] nature (being about race fetishism while not taking an explicit stance on the subject) finally caught up to it.
140	* Tatsuro Yamashita, one of the figureheads of the CityPop scene, refuses to release his music on streaming services, out of dislike toward the idea of corporate entities profiting off his music. Fan uploads are not immune either; due to [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff his cult following in the West]], a common sight for city pop fans on [=YouTube=] is the cycle of unofficial uploads of his music having at least tens of thousands of views, those videos getting taken down by copyright claims, and then other uploads immediately popping up in their place.
141	* The ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' arrangement circle Music/YellowZebra. While it disbanded in 2011, its successor R-note was still active when the label that releases ''Touhou'' music digitally appeared (and is still active as of January 2020). Neither circle is on it.
142	* Music/NeilYoung indefinitely pulled all of his music from Spotify in 2022 to protest their support for controversial podcaster Creator/JoeRogan, who Young accused of spreading misinformation about the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. Young issued the platform an ultimatum, stating that he'd remove his material unless Rogan was kicked off, and he made good on his threat two days later. Young's music remained available on other streaming platforms such as Apple Music (who were quick to tout the availability of Young's music [[https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/tech/apple-music-neil-young/index.html on social media advertisements and their front page]]) and Amazon Music ([[https://nypost.com/2022/01/31/neil-young-offers-free-amazon-music-amid-spotify-boycott/ whom Neil personally endorsed]]). Soon afterwards, Music/JoniMitchell followed suit with pulling her music from Spotify, followed by Nils Lofgren (who has served as Young's bandmate in Crazy Horse), Music/{{Failure}}, Music/IndiaArie, and each of the members of Music/CrosbyStillsAndNash. All of the above artists have since quietly returned their music to Spotify with the most recent being both Young and Mitchell, returning to the service in 2024
143	* Music/YuuheiKatharsis can't release its music digitally because it's a bunch of ''VideoGame/KanColle'' rearrangements.
144	* Music/YuuheiSatellite has done a mostly good job of making their catalogue available for purchase (not streaming) on iTunes and Google Play, but some (not all) of the event-exclusive and limited retailer-specific [=CDs=] are missing. Also, all but a few early sample albums are missing. This isn't a big deal for most of them, whose songs later appear on an album that did get a digital release anyway. However, there are a few exceptions. One of them is the TitleTrack on the sample ''Hana to Ame''. Its original version was never re-released, and even its cover version only showed up on a physical exclusive CD.
145	* ZUN's albums. The ten ''Music/TouhouZUNsMusicCollection'' [=CDs=] and five ''Akyu's Untouched Score'' soundtrack albums were released between 2002 and 2016, but didn't appear on iTunes and Google Play Music until 2018, and didn't show up on streaming services until 2021.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
149	* The TabletopGame/{{Star Wars Roleplaying Game}}s developed by Fantasy Flight Games do not have PDF versions officially on sale courtesy of a detail in their contract with Lucasfilm/Disney that is meant to be a non-contest clause (legally speaking, only Creator/ElectronicArts has the rights to create digital content). It's supposed to prevent FFG from releasing videogames, but it's broad enough to stop PDF releases too.
150	** Wizards of the Coast had this issue as well, and apparently had to fight to release original [=PDFs=] on their website.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Video Games]]
154	* The entire ''VideoGame/{{Bookworm}}'' [[VideoGame/BookwormAdventures series]] was inexplicably de-listed from all digital stores in 2016, and was outright scrubbed from [=PopCap=]'s site during this time. As a result, the only way to play the original game is its own rare physical release or console ports, the only way to play ''Adventures'' is to own its even rarer physical release, and the only way to play ''Adventures: Volume 2'' is to own the Wordy Wonder Bundle, an ''excessively'' rare physical release that comes bundled with it and the other two aforementioned games, and regularly runs at least 30 USD secondhand.
155	* ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' is one of the few of Creator/SquareEnix's games for the Platform/PlayStationPortable that wasn't made available digitally following its physical release. No one knows why for sure, but fandom speculation points to one of the game's characters actually using the likeness of Japanese singer Creator/{{Gackt}} and suggested that whatever contract he and Square Enix made during the game's production doesn't allow for a digital release. Whatever the reason, it isn't applicable to the 2022 ''Reunion'' [[VideoGameRemake remake]], which is available on the digital storefront Platform/{{Steam}} and the storefronts of all the consoles the game released on.
156	* The Creator/DevolverDigital game ''Demon Throttle'' took this to its logical extreme, as it was advertised to be a game that's exclusively sold as a physical release.
157	* ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood: Actress Again Current Code'', the last major version of ''Melty Blood'', couldn't be bought on its own. It only came bundled with the ''Anime/CarnivalPhantasm'' Season 3 [[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited edition set]]. Anyone [[JustHereForGodzilla who only wanted the game]] scrambled to get the set, and people who lived outside of Japan were even more screwed, with some people having to pay more than $300 to have it exported. It eventually got a digital release on Steam, [[LateExportForYou 5 years later]] [[PortingDisaster with its own set of problems]].
158	* The ''VideoGame/NintendoLabo'' kits and ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure'' are among the few Platform/NintendoSwitch games that cannot be downloaded on the eShop. This is because the games come with physical peripherals (cardboard accessories for the former, the Ring-Con and Leg Strap for the latter), so [[JustifiedTrope getting digital versions of those games without the peripherals would be incomplete experiences]]. Similarly, this means that either game that supported the VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy will never see any kind of digital rerelease.
159	* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted2005'' will likely never be sold digitally again, especially after ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted2012'' came out.
160	* ''VideoGame/RepublicTheRevolution''. After its original publisher Creator/{{Eidos}} folded, the IP went to Creator/{{Rebellion}}, who ''did'' put it on Platform/GogDotCom in 2009 -- but then pulled it again in 2011 and have effectively denied any sort of digital distribution of the game ever since.
161	* ''Super Mario 3D All-Stars'', a CompilationRerelease featuring three ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games, was only made available until March 31, 2021, both digitally on the eShop and physically.
162	* The ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games became quite popular in the 2000s, but ZUN refused to release them digitally or even [[NoExportForYou make them available for overseas fans]] for a long time. In August 2014, he made an exception by releasing ''VideoGame/TouhouKishinjouDoubleDealingCharacter'' on Playism, but did not make any other game available. He changed his mind in 2017 -- ''VideoGame/TouhouTenkuushouHiddenStarInFourSeasons'' was released on Steam, and he started gradually releasing the catalogue of official ''Touhou'' games on Steam, with the newest ones first.
163	* The Platform/PlayStation4 port of ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' was initially only available as a physical disc, not receiving a digital release until 2019 due to issues caused by an exclusivity license granted to Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for ''Tetris Ultimate''[[note]]this restriction did not apply to the Platform/NintendoSwitch version since ''Ultimate'' was never released on that platform[[/note]]. When ''Tetris Ultimate'' was delisted, a digital version of ''Puyo Puyo Tetris'' almost immediately followed.
164	* After December 14, 2022, all games made by Creator/EpicGames were delisted from Steam and GOG. This includes all the games in the ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' series and ''VideoGame/{{Bulletstorm}}''.
165	* Platform/{{Evercade}} games are only available as physical cartridges, or pre-installed titles in the case of the Creator/{{Capcom}} games on the Evercade EXP; this is meant to be a throwback to the cartridge format used for 16-bit consoles and older. You might be able to find many of the games ported to Evercade as digital purchase-and-download, but only for other platforms, not for Evercade.
166	* After Ubisoft shut down the servers for their racing MMO ''VideoGame/{{The Crew\|2014}}'' on March 31, 2024, the company took the unprecedented step as ''revoking gamers' licenses to the game'' (at least, on PC) so prevent players from legally re-downloading the game and trying to play it offline, especially since it turned out that the game had programming for an offline mode that was DummiedOut.
167	* In March 2024, Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery announced that they would be delisting all Creator/AdultSwim video games from digital platforms.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Western Animation]]
171	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E1StarkRavingDad Stark Raving Dad]]" ''was'' available on sites like Creator/{{Hulu}}, but it was eventually pulled in 2019 following the release of the controversial documentary ''Leaving Neverland'', which introduced some new alleged facts about Music/MichaelJackson's child abuse, and is the only ''Simpsons'' episode to be excluded from Creator/DisneyPlus. It is only available on Google Play, but you have to buy the entirety of Season 3 to get it.
172	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
173	** As of March 2023, Netflix has the first four seasons, while Hulu has the ninth and final season. Seasons 5 through 8 are no longer available on any streaming service (they had previously been available on Netflix), but the whole series can still be purchased digitally.
174	* Of the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'', several of them are unavailable on Disney+.
175	** ''WesternAnimation/TheSkeletonDance'' remains exclusive to physical media, having last been seen in the supplements for the Blu-Ray of ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs''. Until July 2023, when a restored version of the short was added to Disney+, along with some other shorts.
176	** Most of Disney's [[WartimeCartoon Wartime Cartoons]] are not on Disney+, with shorts like ''WesternAnimation/DerFuehrersFace'' and ''WesternAnimation/EducationForDeath'' remaining exclusive to the Walt Disney Treasures DVD collection.
177	** Both entries of the ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresInMusicDuology'' remain unavailable on Disney+, with both having last been seen on DVD on the out-of-print Walt Disney Treasures Collection set ''Rarities'' and the Virtual Vault section on the 2010 Blu-Ray release of ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', and is unknown if both entries will appear there. It also does not help that both shorts [[ValuesDissonance contain more racial caricatures]] such as blackfaces, Asian, and "Injuns" stereotypes at one point than most of Disney's classic shorts and also does not help that neither one have yet to be restored into 4K at all.
178	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' used to be a victim of this outside the US, but since September 26, 2023, it is no longer in most countries thanks to Netflix, although some countries, such as the Netherlands, did not get it on that date.
179	* In August 2022, several series were removed from Creator/HBOMax following the Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery merger, with the given reason being to avoid paying residuals for shows with smaller audiences. Many of the delisted shows were animated programming, including (but not limited to): ''WesternAnimation/EsmeAndRoy'', ''WesternAnimation/TheFungies'', ''WesternAnimation/TigNSeek'', ''WesternAnimation/YabbaDabbaDinosaurs'', and ''WesternAnimation/CloseEnough''.
180	** ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'', ''Little Ellen'', ''WesternAnimation/MaoMaoHeroesOfPureHeart'', and ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' were not only removed from the service, but every social media video and post ever made that mentioned them were wiped from the record as well, though the [=YouTube=] videos were restored after two months. The shows also had any available music removed from streaming services like Spotify, and ''Infinity Train'''s DVD releases went out of print.
181	** ''Messy Goes To Okido'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheOllieAndMoonShow'', unlike the above-mentioned programs, are [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes no longer legally available at all]] following their removal. Additionally, only 13 episodes of the first season of ''Esme & Roy'' are available for purchase, even though the show had two 26 episode seasons.
182	** ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' became a worst-case scenario of all the removals. The series became a tax writeoff for WBD and deleted from other storefronts. Netflix's international license is set to expire on December 16, 2023; and the third and final season will never be released on DVD.
183	** On 31 December 2022, all of the post-1951 ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoons (equating to 256 removed shorts) and Seasons 4-6 of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' (78 episodes) were removed from Creator/HBOMax due to their streaming license expiring.
184	** Most classic Cartoon Network/Adult Swim shows aren't on the service in Europe. As it seems that ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'''s existence has been forgotten by most European Cartoon Network feeds since [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 the reboot]] came out, it's probably the ''least'' likely to be added.
185	*** However, due to the reboot not making the franchise forgotten in European countries, it might actually be ''most'' likely instead.
186	* As of 2023, despite the show's 30th anniversary that very year (which was low-key at best), ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood'' is likely excluded from Britbox, and probably never come to it at all.
187	* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' and ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' have never seen streaming releases [[https://www.indiewire.com/news/business/why-is-rudolph-and-frosty-not-streaming-1234930331/ as a result of music rights issues]] involving their titular songs.
188	* Seasons 8-11 and 13-15 of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' haven't had any sort of digital release in the United States.
189	* Following a purge of programming on Creator/ParamountPlus in March 2024, several Nickelodeon shows suffered from this, with many of the shows only available for digital purchase.
190	** ''WesternAnimation/BigNate'' and ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats2021'' got pulled despite being exclusively made for the service at first. In addition, Season 2 of the former show does not have a legal method to watch it since the removal, not even as a digital purchase.
191	** ''WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou'' got pulled despite it still making new episodes, with only ''Film/BluesBigCityAdventure'' remaining.
192	** When ''WesternAnimation/ItsPony'' got removed, the entire second season of the show got pulled off digital purchase websites as well.
193	* Like with the HBO Max example above, most classic Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. shows (and the older seasons of ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' and ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'') aren't on the European [=SkyShowtime=] service.
194	* Overlapping with NoExportForYou, the older seasons of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' have never seen streaming releases in Poland.
195	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DenialOfDigitalDistribution