He’s still not happy with the podcast ‘disinformation’ and the sound quality.
Neil Young, the legendary rock musician, announced his return to Spotify last March 2024, on his website. This ends his two-year boycott of the streaming service over its support of Joe Rogan’s podcast that allegedly presented misinformation regarding COVID-19.
The End of Neil Young’s Spotify Boycott
Neil Young’s return to Spotify doesn’t mean that he’s moved past his issues with the platform. According to his statement, it is a result of the wider spread of Joe Rogan’s podcast instead.
This comes after the exclusivity of Spotify’s deal with Joe Rogan was removed, letting the podcast be published on more platforms.
Young pointed out that the problem of spreading misinformation isn’t limited to Spotify now – it’s also happening on Apple and Amazon.
This put him in a difficult position when trying to take a stand against major digital platforms. Since removing his music from all streaming services isn’t realistic, he chose to return to Spotify instead to ensure his fans could still access his work.
In his announcement, Young also expressed his hope that Spotify will improve its sound quality, which has also been a big issue for him for a long time. He noted that his music is available on high-quality platforms like Qobuz and Tidal. And, encouraged Spotify to enhance their audio quality as well.
“I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it.” he shares.
“Hopefully, Spotify will turn to Hi-Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and the listeners!”
Neil Young vs Spotify: A Recap
The standoff between Neil Young and Spotify started in January 2022. That time, Young wanted Spotify to choose: keep his music or Joe Rogan’s podcast, which he claimed was spreading misinformation about vaccines.
His stance was backed by an open letter from doctors and scientists, who also called on Spotify to address the COVID-19 misinformation being shared on Rogan’s show.
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading false information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.” Young wrote in a letter briefly posted on his website.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
In response, Spotify removed some episodes of Rogan’s podcast and added warnings to episodes that discussed COVID-19. It also launched a COVID-19 information hub to tackle the controversy, aiming to present diverse perspectives.
Rogan also apologized for any offense caused and promised to include more balanced discussions in his show via Instagram.
Young’s move to pull his tunes became huge news. Following his lead, several artists also left the platform. This included Joni Mitchell, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, David Crosby, and India Arie. However, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Arie have since returned to the platform.
User Reactions to Neil Young’s Return
Neil Young’s choice to come back to Spotify after the two-year boycott has caused different reactions from fans and the wider audience.
A number of listeners are happy Neil Young is back on Spotify. They value his effort to address issues like the platform’s lower audio quality and the spread of false information.
These users see his return not as giving up, but as a smart move. They understand Young’s original boycott as an impactful gesture against certain practices. But, they also get why an artist might decide to use these platforms again to make sure their music reaches as many people as possible.
On the other hand, some are disappointed with Young’s decision to rejoin Spotify. They think he’s gone back on his word and weakened the stance he initially took against the platform’s ways.
For these critics, Young’s return seems like a step backward. It watered down the strong message he wanted to send about standing against false information and demanding better quality from streaming services.
in oct.2019 neil young release an album called colorado wich has a song called shut it down
the verses reveales to me that he was aware of the cv19 spread and the lockdowns that followed
he is an as**** hand in hand with the elite (despite being a good musician and song writer)