{"id":32695,"date":"2026-04-24T17:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=32695"},"modified":"2026-04-24T17:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:03:17","slug":"nintendo-incorporates-super-mario-galaxy-1-2-soundtracks-into-spotify-despite-its-past-reluctance-toward-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=32695","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo Incorporates Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 Soundtracks into Spotify Despite Its Past Reluctance Toward Streaming"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

Mario enthusiasts, raise your hats in jubilation: in an unprecedented action, Nintendo has made available (some of) the original score for Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 on Spotify. This is significant for several reasons: primarily, it’s the first occasion the company has chosen to share its music on a prominent streaming platform. Additionally, the “a special selection” of songs from the OSTs will only be accessible “for a limited time,” which means you won’t get the complete experience (as you do with, for instance, Bandai Namco’s OST uploads), and you won’t be able to listen indefinitely. Furthermore, this seems to be an exclusive arrangement with Spotify: Qobuz, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music all seem to have been excluded from this agreement.<\/p>\n

Mario’s theme may be the most recognizable in all of gaming.<\/p>\n

However, the fact that we’re finally witnessing Nintendo team up with a music streaming platform is rather unusual. The most apparent motivation for this initiative seems to be marketing: we are a few weeks away from the premiere of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and while some critiques have been harsh, the film seems to have achieved satisfactory success on its own. Nevertheless, promoting the product never causes harm, right? Considering the film features a lot of music derived from tracks of the game it\u2019s named after, this action likely relates to those who viewed the film and have been humming Cosmic Cove since the credits rolled.<\/p>\n

So, why is this so peculiar? Well, back in 2024, we observed the publisher launch Nintendo Music, a well-received application for smart devices that provides access to some of the most beloved OSTs from the publisher\u2019s past. The app has featured music from Animal Crossing New Horizons, Wii Channels, Star Fox 64, Metroid, Mario Kart, Fire Emblem, Kirby, and more. Many of us believed this would be the method through which we\u2019d enjoy Nintendo music on contemporary devices, and it’s generally satisfactory: it operates well, it offers a solid selection, and it presumably allows artists and rights holders greater control over monetization than the notoriously unethical business model of Spotify provides.<\/p>\n

It would – undoubtedly – have seemed more logical for Nintendo to have retained the music there exclusively and market it to audiences to attract new users, wouldn\u2019t it? That being said, the latest statistics on Nintendo Music usage indicate it only boasts around 1 million users. Spotify’s most recent usage report (Q4 2025) places the streaming behemoth at approximately 751 million. Perhaps the rationale is that Nintendo hooks you on Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota\u2019s music on Spotify, before pulling it away and directing you to listen on Nintendo Music. Cynical, yet savvy. And very uncharacteristic of Nintendo, in my opinion.<\/p>\n

The fact that the limited-time offer (strange in itself) only includes a handful of tracks from the games is also perplexing. Perhaps this collaboration with Spotify mirrors the launch of Nintendo’s forthcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vinyl soundtrack collections – in essence, it signifies the company experimenting with new ideas and gauging market demand for broader, less regulated releases.<\/p>\n

Will we witness more Nintendo Music arrive on Spotify in the upcoming weeks, months, or years, or is this solely connected to the recent movie launch? Will we see the music become available on other streaming platforms – perhaps one that hasn’t run ICE recruitment advertisements or doesn’t exploit artists financially – in the future? Will Nintendo ever truly comprehend what a goldmine of incredible game music it still possesses, as fans seek legitimate ways to appreciate it? Only time will reveal. For now, at least, relish this limited-time collaboration – there\u2019s no clear indication of how long it will endure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/div>\n

Mario enthusiasts, raise your hats in jubilation: in an unprecedented action, Nintendo has made available (some of) the original score for Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 on Spotify. This is significant for several reasons: primarily, it’s the first occasion the company has chosen to share its music on a prominent streaming platform. Additionally, the “a special selection” of songs from the OSTs will only be accessible “for a limited time,” which means you won’t get the complete experience (as you do with, for instance, Bandai Namco’s OST uploads), and you won’t be able to listen indefinitely. Furthermore, this seems to be an exclusive arrangement with Spotify: Qobuz, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music all seem to have been excluded from this agreement.<\/p>\n

Mario’s theme may be the most recognizable in all of gaming.<\/p>\n

However, the fact that we’re finally witnessing Nintendo team up with a music streaming platform is rather unusual. The most apparent motivation for this initiative seems to be marketing: we are a few weeks away from the premiere of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and while some critiques have been harsh, the film seems to have achieved satisfactory success on its own. Nevertheless, promoting the product never causes harm, right? Considering the film features a lot of music derived from tracks of the game it\u2019s named after, this action likely relates to those who viewed the film and have been humming Cosmic Cove since the credits rolled.<\/p>\n

So, why is this so peculiar? Well, back in 2024, we observed the publisher launch Nintendo Music, a well-received application for smart devices that provides access to some of the most beloved OSTs from the publisher\u2019s past. The app has featured music from Animal Crossing New Horizons, Wii Channels, Star Fox 64, Metroid, Mario Kart, Fire Emblem, Kirby, and more. Many of us believed this would be the method through which we\u2019d enjoy Nintendo music on contemporary devices, and it’s generally satisfactory: it operates well, it offers a solid selection, and it presumably allows artists and rights holders greater control over monetization than the notoriously unethical business model of Spotify provides.<\/p>\n

It would – undoubtedly – have seemed more logical for Nintendo to have retained the music there exclusively and market it to audiences to attract new users, wouldn\u2019t it? That being said, the latest statistics on Nintendo Music usage indicate it only boasts around 1 million users. Spotify’s most recent usage report (Q4 2025) places the streaming behemoth at approximately 751 million. Perhaps the rationale is that Nintendo hooks you on Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota\u2019s music on Spotify, before pulling it away and directing you to listen on Nintendo Music. Cynical, yet savvy. And very uncharacteristic of Nintendo, in my opinion.<\/p>\n

The fact that the limited-time offer (strange in itself) only includes a handful of tracks from the games is also perplexing. Perhaps this collaboration with Spotify mirrors the launch of Nintendo’s forthcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vinyl soundtrack collections – in essence, it signifies the company experimenting with new ideas and gauging market demand for broader, less regulated releases.<\/p>\n

Will we witness more Nintendo Music arrive on Spotify in the upcoming weeks, months, or years, or is this solely connected to the recent movie launch? Will we see the music become available on other streaming platforms – perhaps one that hasn’t run ICE recruitment advertisements or doesn’t exploit artists financially – in the future? Will Nintendo ever truly comprehend what a goldmine of incredible game music it still possesses, as fans seek legitimate ways to appreciate it? Only time will reveal. For now, at least, relish this limited-time collaboration – there\u2019s no clear indication of how long it will endure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}