After years of waiting, Tool finally got their music onto all streaming services on August 2, 2019. Every single Tool album immediately charted on the Billboard 200 and Top Rock Albums as everyone finally had access to 'em digitally and streams count toward chart placement.
Now in 2024, Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan is acknowledging that maybe waiting all those years to get on streaming services was a bad idea. In an interview with Allison Hagendorf, Keenan said he thinks Tool missed the boat and should've been using their digital presence to boost vinyl and CD sales.
"I feel like we missed the boat. Like it started with downloads, you know, 24 years ago," said Keenan via The PRP. "And then by the time we actually came out, downloads are done. We missed 20 years of reaching two generations of people to understand what it is that we do, in a format that, you know… I don't like listening to the mp3 version. I listen to CDs and vinyl.
"But that's the gateway to get them into the vinyl and the CDs. And I feel like we made a mistake not being on those on those mediums for 20 years. Me every year, saying 'we should do this.'"
Keenan then touched on Tool's music instantly getting popular again when it all got uploaded to streaming services, adding: "Well fans that knew about it. There's an entire two generations that didn't. That's why [there was] the big surprise when we ended up bumping Taylor Swift off the chart for her second week.
"They didn't know who [we are]. I mean 'Who is this?' 'I don't know who the fuck this.' But, I mean, that's just, that's the reality, that people didn't know who we were because we weren't around.
"My son just went finished law school, and his peers have no idea who we are. They weren't exposed to it. It's not on your phone."
Keenan also spoke on new Tool music and drummer Danny Carey's comments that they've got material left over from Fear Inoculum. Long story short, Keenan hasn't gotten anything to work on.
"He talks a lot. He's on tour now with The Beat Tour with Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, and, you know, it's an amazing, amazing lineup. It's really impressive. But he's out there. So, if he's out there, they're not in there, and I can't do what I need to do till they get in there and do the thing."
