Neil Young’s attempt to pressure Spotify seems to have succeeded. Other musicians have joined his protest, and the musician’s open letter also had an effect on the stock market. The streaming giant lost billions in stock value as a result of the action.
According to Young, it was actually about getting Spotify to remove the popular podcast by comedian and influencer Joe Rogan from the offer. The commentator had repeatedly railed against the Corona policy and also gave voice to voices that compared the call for vaccinations with the Holocaust.
Neil Young promises free Amazon subscriptions
But now the songwriter has stepped up and strengthened a competitor of Spotify who still has all of Young’s songs on offer: Amazon.
“Amazon is at the forefront of bringing Hi-Res Audio to the masses and it’s the perfect place to enjoy my entire catalog in the highest quality available,” he wrote on Twitter via Neil Young Archives. “Thanks also to Apple Music (I LOVE APPLE) and Qobuz for supporting my high-res music.”
All folks looking for my music can easily head to AMAZON MUSIC and click here https://t.co/xvhKGMkA36 – all new listeners will get four months free. pic.twitter.com/a66GaGUKEk
— Neil Young Archives (@NeilYoungNYA) January 28, 2022
So far, Young’s main reason for boycotting Spotify, which doesn’t yet offer hi-res content as part of its premium offering, is its untenable support for Joe Rogan’s podcast. “You can have either Rogan or Young. Not both,” he wrote in his open letter on his website.
It is well known that Young has been committed to the best possible sound communication for years. In the past he had even (unsuccessfully) started his own music player and music service (Pono) dedicated to this goal. The musician’s complete work can now be heard on his own website for a fee in the best possible sound quality.
Attack on Spotify’s business model
Neil Young may also want to use the detour of political attention – a concern that may well be authentic and stands for itself, but can also be guided by other motives – to achieve that Spotify loses market power or even changes its business model.
That would at least explain why he is loudly promoting Amazon of all things, which has not yet attracted attention by paying musicians significantly better for streams. Interestingly, Tidal doesn’t mention Young, although it has been shown to pay more money to artists per stream and also offers a Hi-Res model.
Incidentally, in addition to Spotify, the outlawed Joe Rogan also spoke up and came out as a fan of his currently most famous critic. Commenting on Young and others leaving Spotify, he said: “I’m very sorry that you feel that way. I definitely don’t want that. I’m a Neil Young fan, I’ve always been a Neil Young fan.”