After abstaining for over two years, Neil Young has decided to add his music back onto Spotify.
In January 2022, Young took all of his music off of the largest streaming platform in the world as a form of protest against Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, which was only available on Spotify.
Rogan faced significant backlash for allegedly disseminating false information about the Covid vaccines through his podcast. This criticism came not only from Young, but also from a coalition of 270 scientists and healthcare experts. They claimed that Rogan’s spreading of misinformation was a serious societal problem, and held Spotify accountable for enabling it to flourish on their platform.
Neil Young criticized Spotify for being a platform that spreads dangerous misinformation about Covid, accusing them of prioritizing profit over truth. He also mentioned that he does not want his music to be associated with them if they continue to give a platform to individuals like Joe Rogan. As a result, his music was removed from Spotify and a spokesperson from the company expressed regret but hoped to have Neil’s music back in the future.
In January 2022, Rogan expressed remorse, stating “I am not always accurate” and vowing to incorporate viewpoints from a variety of experts to maintain equilibrium. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also issued an apology, acknowledging their responsibility to offer more diverse information from reputable medical and scientific sources.
Starting in February of this year, the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer only available on Spotify. The host has entered into a new contract, estimated to be valued at $250 million (£196 million), which permits the podcast to be shared on other platforms such as Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.
Young has retracted his previous statement of refusing to have his music on all streaming platforms and has now decided to make it available on Spotify once again.
In a recent statement on his website, the individual stated: “I have made the decision to return to Spotify after music giants Apple and Amazon implemented similar disinformation podcast features that I had previously opposed. I cannot simply quit Apple and Amazon like I did with Spotify, as this would severely limit the availability of my music to listeners. Therefore, I have returned to Spotify.”
Young, a longtime proponent of high-quality audio who once launched a rival to Apple’s iPod, criticises Spotify for the quality of its playback, describing it as “the #1 streamer of low res music in the world – Spotify where you get less quality than we made … I hope all you millions of Spotify users enjoy my songs! They will now all be there for you except for the full sound we created.” He said he hoped Spotify would introduce a high-definition tier to its service, and pointed fans towards competitors Qobuz and Tidal.
Young, 78, continues to be as outspoken today as he was with his famous musical broadsides against war, the US government, environmental destruction and more. In November he boycotted X (formerly Twitter) after owner Elon Musk promoted an antisemitic tweet. “Tesla should fly flags of love – not hate,” the rocker wrote. He lambasted Ticketmaster earlier in 2023, writing: “Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers. Concert tours are no longer fun. Concert tours not what they were.”
However, he will embark on a tour in April, which is being promoted by Live Nation- the parent company of Ticketmaster. He and his band, Crazy Horse, will play 16 shows throughout North America.
Young is getting ready to release a live album, titled “Fu##in Up,” in April. The album was recorded in November and primarily features songs from his 1990 album, Ragged Glory. Following the recording, Young wrote about his struggles with arthritis in his hand and how he was able to find a way to alleviate the pain without medication. He described the last show as an unforgettable experience and emphasized the joy he felt in being able to sing freely and easily. He stated that he could not recall a night like that in many years, if ever.
In February, Young shared the album “Dume,” which includes material he recorded with Crazy Horse while working on the album “Zuma” in 1975. This release was followed by “Before and After” in December 2023, an album featuring Young’s solo acoustic versions of his older songs.
Source: theguardian.com
