Neil Young’s music is pulled from Spotify

137 thoughts on “Neil Young’s music is pulled from Spotify”

1. One thing strikes me strange about all this:

   Where are the other three?

   I know Neil might not take kindly to Crosby’s remarks about Neil “only thinking of himself” (current actions apparently notwithstanding), and David and Graham apparently can’t agree on anything more than the utility of oxygen. But I would be shocked out of my shoes to find that C, S, and N don’t support Y in this case. And if so… What are they waiting for? I don’t think Spotify gets a ton of traffic from Steve Still’s solo catalog, but if so, then he has little to lose by opting out.

   If Neil’s friends Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen man up behind him, now that would be something. Bruce may have sold the farm, but I doubt the new caretakers would risk his wrath by not respecting a similar request from The Boss, who still dangles a hypnotists’ watch in front of an army of Tramps Like Him.

   And what of the women folk, the ones who “are smarter in every way” (and I sure believe it)? The most powerful artists on earth today all carry a pair of X chromosomes. Imagine how much Spotify might bend if Mses. Swift, Adele, Knowles and Gaga all decided they only want to be on a shelf with other musicians, not with opinionated comics?

   Curious too, that no one has called Neil’s request simply a way to drive fans to his own Neil Young Archives. But if that were his intention, he would stayed off Spotify already. Maybe he should share the supporting tech of the NYA with the women listed above. That might strike the most fear in the hearts of the record biz since Ray Charles decided owning his own masters might be a good idea.

2. Neil Young: A protest singer through and through as proved by his protest over this issue.

3. “music being available on streaming cannot be taken for granted”

   You are, as you know, preaching to the converted. Almost everybody who visits this site is a firm believer in your site’s “Holding the music in your hands” motto.

   I do completely agree with Young’s stance. However, I doubt anybody was hammering Young’s music 24/7 on Spotify and anyone who does miss it can easily switch to Amazon, Tidal, Apple, etc when their monthly subscription on Spotify ends (I know they offer annual subscriptions but I suspect that most of their paying customers subscribe monthly).

   I use Spotify to listen to podcasts, mostly The Guardian Long Read & Today in Focus, Ken Bruce’s weekday Popmaster quiz and a few others but certainly not the one that irked Young. Their layout is much easier to navigate than other platforms but I would never subscribe to it. Amazon, Apple, Tidal and Qobuz offer Hi-Res and CD quality music whilst Spotify only offer MP3 quality.

   If I was in my teens, I would definitely be subscribing to a streaming platform and wouldn’t even consider buying CDs. I have tried free subscriptions to most of the streaming platforms over the years and currently have a 3 month one with Amazon Music HD. However, I’m so ingrained in buying physical music that I find it difficult to make a connection with music that I stream – ownership means everything!

   1. What do kids spend money on these days then?

4. Spotify and the other streaming platforms are what almost all kids and most adults below a certain age are used to when it comes to accessing music… instant gratification.

   If they hear a song they ‘Shazam’ it which will then have a link to stream it via Spotify. They can then add it to a playlist so they have the luxury of self curated albums aplenty.

   There is no traipsing around looking for something you caught the name of but don’t know who was the artist.

   Back in the day :) You weren’t even guaranteed that massive albums by the likes of anyone from The Beatles, Stones, The Smiths, Blur, Madonna, etc would be in stock in the dozens of record shops throughout your city… and don’t get me started on tracking down imports you heard at the disco (or the cost).

   If you’d told me back then I could have all the music I wanted at the press of a button and for FREE of course I would have said YES!

   Spotify and it’s ilk started as music streaming platforms but just as their customers form of accessing music was via a click of a button so to it became their source of everything… film, news, connecting with friends and complete strangers…

   The ‘internet’ during its ‘piracy’ phase set physical music up (plus the greed of record companies) for the chopping block… it helped close so many record shops and even transform whole communities (the ‘Gay Scene’).

   Everyone who’s face is constantly lit by the glow from a smartphone if not connecting with the real world around them in that moment is connecting to whatever it is that they love via that multimedia wonder in their hand.

   Spotify and others therefore having DECIDED to satisfy a hunger for podcasts (and make themselves a few bucks) also have an obligation to monitor what is being broadcast is FACTUAL.

   That all music now seems to be a side portion (or the crumbs) at this feast and how podcasters have become its celebrity chefs is beyond me, but from the money some of them are being paid it’s what the customer wants… and isn’t the customer always right?

   Neil Young has every right to make a ‘political stand’ Spotify is a stage (a world stage) and if Neil Young chooses not to get up on that stage because he has fundamental issues with another ‘artist’ then who can say that is wrong, and hopefully his stand will make at least more than a few of streaming services customers take a moment and think ‘What price free music?’

5. I think the best reason of having “music you can hold in your hands” is you can pass it on to your children when you no longer exist. Being in a music obsessed family, I like the idea of my kids remembering me through my music tastes…and hopefully even pass it on to their kids. That would be cool. You can’t pass on your Spotify playlist when you are dead,

   1. A few years ago I was talking to my son about music and, based on what I knew he already liked, I mentioned some artists I thought he might want to listen to. He seemed keen. I went and dug out a few relevant CDs and brought them back to give to him. I don’t know if I was expecting him to throw his arms around me, but instead he looked at them and said, “I don’t need them, they’re all on Apple Music”.

      If he really, really likes an artist he’ll buy their music on vinyl, but probably 90% of his listening is streamed either via headphones or in his car. The idea that I would pass on my CD collection would no doubt fill him with both amusement and horror. First of all, amusement at the idea he would need me to recommend anything to him any more. All the information he needs is out there on the Internet, along with links to tracks being suggested.

      Secondly he’d be horrified at the thought of having to deal with several thousand discs, when he lives with his girlfriend in a flat that barely has room for his own small collection.

      Don’t ask your children whether they would like you to “pass on your music” to them when you die. Ask them instead if they want the hassle of disposing of “a roomful of stuff “.

      Too many people have this nostalgic idea that they’re not just collecting music for themselves, but they’re creating a legacy for their offspring. In most cases what they’re really doing is creating a future headache.

      1. That’s exactly why I sold a massive pile of my old records a couple of years ago, I was fortunate to find a single dealer who paid £60K in total for a large percentage of what I had left and between what I had sold on eBay before the dealer approached me, keeping back just my favourites, probably no more than 10% – 15% was kept. I was so proud of my collection, with personal items going back to the 1970s…. then one day it dawned that absolutely not one other human in my sphere of life gave one single shiny shit about it. All it would be was a massive headache for my loved ones. The two months I spent on eBay was enough to convince me to let the rest go in one lump. It’s not easy realising 40 years of your life unless you are prepared to give it a lot of time.

6. Hearty round of applause to Neil. Props to him for not wanting to align himself with “truth seekers” the likes of Rogan. To those saying “well he brought this on himself…” thats exactly the point. He made this decision. He would rather suffer the potential consequences of having his music removed from spotify than be associated with a service that hosts Rogan. Neil always was one to stand up for what he believed in.

7. Neil Young was entitled to deliver his ultimatum to Spotify and they were entitled to stick to their guns on what is fundamentally a free speech issue. Before this degenerates into a debate about misinformation I would simply ask everyone this question: Do you believe that the mainstream media always (whether intentionally or unwittingly) publish factual information? The obvious answer should be “no” and yet nobody demands that they be cancelled.

   Regarding the issue of streaming v physical music, this has proven once and for all that if you truly value music then owning it (vinyl, CDs, cassettes, audio files) provide the only certainty that you will always have access to it. The other aspect which seems to be forgotten is that many streaming services often don’t include rare tracks such as b-sides and remixes of songs that are freely available on CD singles for example.

   Streaming has a convenience but I would never use it as my only source of music. Ever.

   1. There’s no debate. Its not a free speech issue. Joe Rogan is spreading COVID misinformation and outright lies regarding a deadly virus that has killed millions worldwide. Neil Young doesn’t want to be associated with a streaming service that hosts such dangerous garbage and has pulled his music from Spotify. Its quite simple, really.

8. I’m all for broadening the range of choices we have in how we experience recorded music, but my choice remains the physical product. Frankly, I don’t care much what is or isn’t on Spotify or any other streaming service. What I want to listen to in any given hour on any given day depends on my mood, so I have no interest in having someone else program the experience for me, however vast the musical palette they might have at their disposal. I’m creeped out enough when Amazon ‘suggests’ something to me based on my buying and/or browsing patterns. Speaking of ‘choice’… If Neil Young chooses to throw in his lot with the ‘looks so much like totalitarianism we betcha can’t tell the difference’ element that daily demands you to ‘do what you’re told or else we’ll de-platform your existence’, well then I guess that’s his prerogative. Still, it seems a weird stance for an old hippie to take: ‘I don’t like what you have to say so I won’t stay in the same room with you’. Anyway…cheers, peace (what’s left of it), and like Frankie said: ‘music is the best’.
   Rob (Toronto)

9. Not mean to troll but i have never listened to Neil Young, i know his name though and i know he is a legend but i don’t know a single song of him. Paul Young either. My suspicious regarding this note is perhaps he’s gonna sell his catalog too just like Dylan.

   1. What have you got against artists with the surname ‘Young’? ;)

      1. How you know he’s not got a massive poster of will young on his bedroom wall???

   2. Don’t know a single song from Neil Young? You must be very young!

      1. Out of fairness, the Y’s are always in the bins in the back of the shops. Don’t get me started on ZZ Top.

      2. They probably do know some !I am no expert but their are at least 10 Neil Young Songs that have been covered so many times by other artists that it is possible to only know them from a cover version,rather than from the original Neil Young recordings.

   3. He has already sold his catalog. He needed to get permission from them to ask Spotify to take his music down – lucky for him they assented.

      And honestly, what’s with all the “I don’t know the guy” posts? If you have any streaming service at all, or even just YouTube, you can search for “Artist Greatest Hits” and listen to a few songs. Maybe you’ll recognize something! At the very least, your ignorance will have been wiped away. And I can guarantee you that at least one of the artists you have listened to has covered a Neil Young song at some point.

10. The second to last paragraph of this article is so beautifully poignant I want to print it out and hang it on the wall next to my records.

    1. Agreed. Been preaching for years!

11. I do use Spotify, mainly to discover music, make playlists and share playlists among friends. But I also buy records and CDs, playing them at home and loading some to my phone and my still-functioning iPod Classic. Most people I know under 40 (I’m 50) just stream music.
    My main issue with streaming is how little they pay to recording artists and songwriters. A story in The Guardian about the Young/Rogan issue said that Rogan was paid $100 million by Spotify in an exclusive deal. Yet Gary Numan has said that he was paid only £37 for 1 million streams. That’s a substantial disparity.

    1. As little as Spotify pays musicians and songwriters, they have never been profitable streaming music. Exclusive podcasts with big reach give them an advertising platform they believe they can actually profit from. Sad but true.

    2. So about a fiver for 125,000 streams ?? Will not get far in his helicopter with that will he??
       So wits in it for a artist then to have your stuff on this Spotify thing?

       1. You pretty much don’t exist to anyone under 25 if you’re not on Spotify.

12. So Spotify would rather back a talentless (if he’s got anything in the way of music I can’t find it) social influencer than an actual musical legend?

    I’m actually deciding this week if I should continue my Spotify account or move to the dreaded Apple… seems I’ll be choosing the juicier of the two evils after reading up on this debacle.

    1. Spotify didn’t choose anything. They were issued an ultimatum by Young, of which they had no option but to remove his music as was his wish. He seems to have gladly dug his own hole. It was totally avoidable.

       1. They were given an ultimatum from which they made a choice… to go with JR… No?

13. There is something profoundly wrong about demanding that someone you disagree with should be censored.
    Make no mistake, that is exactly what Neil Young did here.
    I would have thought that a musician and writer would understand this.

    1. No this is not the same thing…Spotify is hypocritically supporting and giving a platform to someone broadcasting dangerous misinformation about COVID when they even said they would not…and Neil would rather not be a hypocrite & would prefer to keep people safe than be on the same platform as someone who is the opposite…he is not telling Joe Rogan to change no, he’d rather draw a line in the sand for Spotify to choose & is expressing his integrity by taking HIMSELF out of the equation!! He is talking money cuz the wallet speaks & would rather take a hit himself than be a hypocrite, which would ruin his legacy to his fanbase…and perhaps Spotify will come around?? I applaud Neil’s stance, it’s in his nature…and me, I hardly use Spotify myself…I prefer Amazon Music & get Audible audiobooks too…but I only use that to try new music before I go & buy hardcopies…

       1. Have you actually listened to anything Joe Rogan has broadcast? I listen regularly and he hasn’t said anything misleading at all. That is just mainstream media hype telling you he does. Do you honestly believe everything governments tell you? Not very rock ‘n’ roll if you do.

          1. I did ask that we didn’t get into this whole Covid/conspiracy thing…

             1. Yes Paul, I understand your worry but Neil Young has made a political statement, just like when he has written Ohio. We live in the real world and so I don’t think that the can’t ignore the fact that, at the moment, we have 367,005,794 Corona Virus cases and 5,657,166 Deaths by Covid

             2. No one is ignoring it but I don’t really want to discuss it here, although I accept it’s connected to Neil Young’s decision so I’m giving people a little bit of lattitude.

             3. sorry mistyping “I don’t think we can”

    2. And this is not differing opinions, this is about facts & Joe Rogan is expressing misinformation to impressionable people, which could affect the planet really…

       1. Also if Instragram and Twitter have a strict policy that they will ban or remove any content of this type, why should Spotify not do the same? I thought it was a zero-tolerance policy thing.

14. Good article- steaming has its place – but it will never replace my collection of vinyl or cds – I’ve been pushed into a Spotify acc thanks to car manufacturers deciding that CD players are no longer needed in new cars – so my wife and I are on a joint Spotify acc

    1. Now that CDs are starting to come back, perhaps car manufacturers will start making audio systems with CD players again?? Hope so…

       1. CD’s have never gone anywhere at least not like vinyl did.

       2. I’m hanging on to my current car a little longer than i’d like to as the car I want to buy doesn’t have a CD player in it. If it wasn’t for that, they’d be taking my money.

    2. There are other streaming services that aren’t Spotify, though, and they all still have Neil Young’s music. You could use one of those in your car if you were so inclined. But yes, many newer cars don’t have CD players, and it’s a shame, really.

    3. I still use my iPod and have it hooked up in my car with the USB cable. My iTunes is made of 99.99999% rips of physical media I own until the day I die. I will never ever stream.

    4. I buy CDs and rip them to a USB stick to play in the car. No subscription, no CDs getting nicked from the car. Win/win!

15. Apparently they paid a large sum for the Rogan podcast (someone I had never heard of until this) so they were always going to choose this over Neil.
    I am not a fan of Spotify, I don’t get on with the main list of ‘popular, most played tracks’ or it’s interface, seems more about the quantity and less of the quality to me.

    I had it as part of a phone contract but would never pay for it as I love albums so much.

    I love Neil Youngs writing, musicianship, principles and own all of his music, this story will make a few inquisitive to try some of his songs which is good but Neil will be okay without Spotify.

16. I remember when rock musicians stood up for free speech. Neil used to be one of them. The left has changed so much in my lifetime. And not for the better. As for streaming, it’s something I never really got into. I do have some albums digitally, but they are purchased and downloaded to my hard drive. The same goes for my collection of 70s/80s TV shows and movies. I wouldn’t like corporate decision-making, for whatever reason, politics or not, to take away access to music I want to hear. Not a huge Neil fan, but if I was on a streaming site and they took away say Genesis or Bowie or Yes or King Crimson, I’d be really ticked off.

    1. Oh those darned leftists are ruining everything! Joe Rogan regularly attacks people of color, trans folks, etc. and repeatedly spreads dangerous COVID misinformation and lies propagated by far right/Republican individuals he continually hosts on his sadly popular program carried by Spotify. Neil Young has had enough of this evil idiocy and is, thankfully, pushing back. He should be applauded for his efforts.

       1. Demands for censorship are evil, whichever side they come from. No one made Neil Young the arbiter of what people are and are not allowed to listen to. I will never applaud authoritarianism. I will never applaud censorship or calls for censorship. No matter who is doing it or which side of the political fence they are on.

       2. My replies aren’t being allowed. Maybe this one will be. I guess some people just really enjoy telling other people what they can and can’t say and what they can and can’t listen to. I’m not one of those people. Live and let live. I remember when the left used to think that way. Too bad it doesn’t any more.

          1. Oh grow up, this is not and never has been a free forum, it is run and moderated entirely by Paul and he has already stated that he has limits. I’ve had dozens of (exceptionally brilliant) posts that disappear in to the ether over the last 8 or 9 years. It’s a small price to pay to not have this place descend into a hot mess.

             Your stance is incredibly wrong headed. Neil Young isn’t saying censor and remove Joe Rogan or I am off. I am sure he gets that would be wrong. He is just saying that he doesn’t want to share a platform with a provable liar and peddler of lies. If he was demanding that NY should be allowed to stay and JR has to be removed that is a different thing entirely. But NY has fallen on his sword, got his songs removed to his own cost and left JR where he is to do what he does for money. Spinning it into something else, well it does no one any favours.

    2. What if it was a KKK-promoter, would you still back up your claim? I will also probably always stand for free speech but unfortunately free speech in today’s world is very dangerous.

    3. Free speech does not give you or anyone the freedom to lie to people– especially when that motive is driven by profit and the lie itself could get you or someone you know, killed. Try screaming FIRE in a crowded theater and see how for that BS about “free speech” excuse gets you.

17. In case anyone thought that The Independent was one of the more sensible newspapers, here’s a genuine headline from their website:

    “How to listen to Neil Young’s music now it’s been removed from Spotify…”

    In case you’re thinking, “Surely people can work that out?”, the article goes on to say:

    “Neil Young fans have been left wondering how they can listen to his music after its removal from Spotify.”

    Answers on a postcard to…

18. I’m not a Neil Young fan, but certainly an artist should fight against the misinformation in all possible ways. Music was the fuel of the protest against wars (Vietnam, etc), racism (Sun City, etc.), and I’m proud to see musicians against a misleading information that has already caused millions of deaths worldwide. Thanks Neil, ev’rybody #boycottSpotify

    1. I hardly ever used Spotify, even when I received a subscription as a gift from my sister a few years ago…always stuck with my collection & Amazon Music to try things out…

19. I have a friend who just tells his amazon alexa to “play music”. And instead of amazing John-Peel nuggets of discovery it just churns out what ever has been in the top 20 over the last few weeks. It confirms my belief that streaming is for people who like music, but don’t love it or care about it, or are passionate about it.
    For years I would go round to people’s houses and examine their physical music collections like I was browsing in HMV (I hasten to add, when the owners were present also, and with people I knew!) and that would spark conversations of shared loves, different opinions and new discoveries. Not the same really just asking to see their phone to look at their recent streaming history.

    1. I don’t agree. I think streaming is great – I listen to Spotify every day. I also play records and CDs every day and usually buy both every week.

    2. I used to do the same thing, haha

20. Spotify clearly sees its business model as offering more than simply music.Mr Rogan brings in more revenue and users than anything Mr Young offers on their platform.This,alas is what happens when politics,profit and woke music culture clashes all at once.It is NOT Mr Young’s role to dictate what non-music content Spotify puts on its platform.Kind of reminds me of when Paul Weller was outraged that David Cameron liked his song Eton Rifles.Once the music is out there the artist kind of loses control over who accesses it.Kind of futile petulance from Mr Young to try impose his political views onto a commercial platform.There is literally no crossover between those subscribing to Mr Rogan’s offerings and those enjoying Mr Young’s music.Both ought to be able to co-exist on the same platform!Silly political posturing from Mr Young just creates more political division we could all do without!

    1. It comes across a bit hypocritical to say someone shouldn’t do something that involves them telling someone else they shouldn’t do something. Neil Young doesn’t have a ‘role’ other than being some kind of artist and that involves expressing his opinion in whatever way he wants. Throughout his career he has taken action against things he finds objectionable on a range of topics. So it’s not at all out of character to stand up against something he doesn’t agree with – he even wrote a song called Who’s Gonna Stand Up a few years ago – so political posturing is part of his work and it would be a surprise if he didn’t act on his beliefs and use his platform to make a stand that less financially secure artists are unable to take.

21. Do I now want to go and read up to see what this guy’s views on the pandemic are, or do I just assume he’s a conspiracy theorist against vaccination, masks etc, and Neil Young is a fab guy for pulling his catalogue (and his label for agreeing)?

    1. It’s a safe assumption…Neil is not out of character here…he’d rather not be a hypocrite than lose some income…he will be fine without Spotify…he has Amazon Music…

       1. I’ve since found out what it’s about and I’m applauding Neil Young. Not only for it but also because maybe some more people will find out that you can listen to music by buying physical media. That physical media actually exist. I can’t begin to imagine how many millions of people have no idea that music is available that way.

22. The OCD in me would have to tidy up the arrangement of the CD’s in the picture :(

    1. Original release order or reissue release order?
       Should different backing bands be included separately? What about the Stills-Young Band?

       1. Are those all new cardboard CD wallets or some in jewelcases?? Me, in my Neil collection, I keep the ORS titles together, then the Archive titles, then the bootleg titles…with ORS, I’m waiting on remasters in cardboard wallets over older CDs in jewelcases, in the meantime would buy them used cheap as placeholders…

23. I applaud NY for taking a principled stance (not looking to get involved in the rights and wrongs of the stance), but it’s been summed up perfectly in the article and comments – you have no rights to your Spotify library, albums and tracks could be removed at any time.

    I have Spotify and use it for two purposes – the kids can listen to whatever they want to, and I personally use it to allocate my funds to physical purchases by listening to filter out the ‘must haves’ from the ‘just OK’ albums. I rip everything I have to FLAC, but I ultimately feel that a CD represents a fairer reward for artists. I’m considering ditching CDs for lossless downloads this year, apart from deluxe sets, to save plastic waste. Presumably the artist gets the same cut as a CD.

    I have many issues with streaming – artist reward; quality; wrong ‘versions’; a concern that, like TV streaming, you might end up needing many different services. It also – even the way I use it – makes it less likely you’ll discover a ‘grower’ album. If it’s not instant, there’s too much else on there to return 5 or 6 times for repeat listens. If you’d spent £10-15 on a CD, you’d almost certainly give it a fair crack.

    All said and done though, visitors here are probably in the minority. I don’t believe that any of this is important to the typical streamer – I don’t think they care that they don’t own it, if it disappears in 6 months or 6 years’ time, they don’t care that the artist is making fractions of pennies.

    It also seems critical for new bands, though it’s difficult to see how many get by. Taylor Swift and Neil Young can afford to take stands against the streaming sites, but small bands need a way to reach an audience. I hope for a shift back towards rewarding artists fairly, but I’m pessimistic about that.

24. Clapton will be next to pull his stuff then???

25. About four years ago my nephew was asking why I still wanted physical copies of everything. Other then I love to collect and own them I made a prediction to him and some of my family members who were with him. I warned that cancel culture would become so crazy soon that we would see a push for bands to be thrown off streaming sites due to political views or an accusations of something. Sure enough last year Drowned in sound posted some thing about streaming sites having an obligation to hold artists accountable and not give their music a platform (basically for any reason they deemed worthy you know them being the all virtuous, all knowing arbiters of morality and all).

    I sent that post to my nephew letting him know the cancel brigade was already putting things in motion. Hold on to your records it’s only going to get worse.

    1. Well, this is not the point. There is no cancel culture brigade at work here. I don’t understand your comment.

       1. It’s the same thing, I think it’s quite clear what auteur55 is saying.

    2. I’m just really disappointed that the odd time I’ve commented on music, or shared info about a release like my last post don’t make it past moderation but this whiny, cranky old guy spam gets an airing.

       I’d have understood is the links for purchase had been removed from my last comment, maybe that was my error and not within your TOS or standards, but Auteur55 doesn’t understand consequence for action, just posting personal garbage.

       I understand the milieu now, but rather disappointing to learn that trolls are allowed to post what they should say to a mirror. Who’s the narrow minded “all knowing arbiters of morality” here????

       Thanks for the site so far, good luck in the future.

       1. You commented about six days ago and it was published. This was the NOW 12″ post. I can see you did post another comment which for some reason wasn’t published but that’s it. One unpublished post not some conspiracy.

       2. I do loads of cranky old guy spam!! Normally after a litre of jack d honey!!! Trust me when I wake up on Monday morning I’m glad they haven’t been published!!

       3. Who are you to attack auteur55 for being a troll? SDE has never been a place for ad hominen personal attacks such as calling others ‘cranky old guy’ and I hope it never sinks to that level.
          Who’s to say that what auteur55 says couldn’t happen. None of us know. The Drowned in Sound article proves there are those who would push it. Who would have predicted that Winston Marshall would be forced to leave Mumford and Sons over criticism for saying he liked a book?
          The term ‘consequence for action’ has a rather chilling aspect to it, when associated with musical artists. But then again that’s exactly why it is used.

    3. I support “cancel culture” only in getting rid of dangerous misinformation platforms, people that spread it & right-wing artists that support it…I filter out the danger & I have a progressive little world in my area…

    4. Cancel culture? I’d say Neil Young being successfully able to decide what to do with the music he created and owns is the literal opposite of ‘cancel culture’. His music, his decision. And not cancelled because it’s available elsewhere.

       Spotify, to their somewhat meagre credit, did remove the work of notable sex offender R Kelly (among others) from their services. Is that cancel culture? Are you going to take Spotify to task over that?

       1. It is very difficult to draw the line however. I’m glad I own the one track that R Kelly contributed to in my physical collection, and in general I will always try to make a distinction between the artist and their art. If we were to cancel and obliterate the contribution to the artistic world because the artist was a bit problematic it would be a sadder and emptier place. I don’t see that people cancelled Phil Spector’s music for example. Should we cancel The Ronettes’ music? The Beatles’? *shudder.
          R. Kelly – convicted sex offender vs. Phil Spector – convicted murderer.

26. Interestingly, Neil comments about sound quality in his Spotify statement:

    “There is an upside for my listeners .. It is this: many other platforms, Amazon, Apple, and Qobuz, to name a few, present my music today in all its High-Resolution glory – the way it is intended to be heard, while unfortunately SPOTIFY continues to peddle the lowest quality in music reproduction.”

27. Spotify is a great resource to check out new music and explore back catalogues, but if I like something enough I will still buy the physical album, always.

    And as we all know, Spotify isn’t the be-all and end-all: there’s plenty of amazing music that just isn’t on there. Example: if you want to hear It’s Immaterial’s comeback LP House For Sale (and I strongly recommend that you do) then you have to actually buy the actual album and pay the artist a decent % in the process. Imagine that…

28. I always tell people who rely on streaming that their music can just up and disappear for any reason, and there’s no guarantee it’ll ever come back. It’s also really easy to point to formerly-popular things that you can’t actually stream from one of these services anymore (or ever). Hopefully this will make many more people aware of that fact, and spur an upswing in physical product purchases, which benefit the artists much more.

    1. Music mysteriously disappearing on Spotify is one thing but another is the great music by artists that’s never been available. I’m at just over 9,000 CDs in my collection that I started building at age 14 and would never rely on Spotify to host the music that I want to hear at any given moment. At least I have the assurance that when I listen to something like Aztec Camera’s “High Land, Hard Rain” the audio is from my 2014 Domino 2 CD Remaster – who the hell knows what versions Spotify is making available even if they sometimes note a year and the descriptor “remaster”. The streaming quality, speakers/phones you listen on, etc. are all directly impacted by the source material you limit yourself to when using Spotify. For me, they are just a means to audition music- if it’s an older title and something I like than I’m off to Discogs to research the history of available CD options (check for bonus tracks, deluxe edition formats, etc.) before I buy the physical item. On the other hand, if it’s a new release…well that’s easy, I’ve got that covered with a cup of coffee and a stop in at SDE in the morning :)

    2. Not just music either, films that very rarely end up on any sort of streaming service or where certain elements have been removed to appease a small subset of modern audiences, the only alternative is to buy a copy to make sure you can watch it when you want and in the version you want.

29. Agree completely. You can add something to your library on a streaming service, but it can disappear one day. And while this instance is well publicised, it can disappear without any notification. I’ve known it happen. Some change in rights etc., and it’s gone. So streaming is radio on demand, it’s not really your own music library. It sometimes seems surprising that entire box sets are streamed simultaneously with physical editions, but the reality is the more tracks an artist has up, the more streaming revenue they get, so it’s inevitable. And it’s also why there’s such a preponderance of lengthy “double albums” these days… with payment by track to the artists, we’re definitely in an era of “more is more”… although it can be less quality for the listener! Good on Neil for taking a stand though… and happy that I use Apple Music, where all his stuff is still there.

30. Agree with Neil on the principle although I haven’t heard what was said in this podcast. The real issue with streaming is the owners of Spotify have become billionaires and not enough goes to the artist. I use it to check new stuff out and will buy it if I like it but I despair that for under 25’s it’s all they know.
    Spotify is killing music to coin an old phrase

31. I really hope all streaming services go under, theyve ripped artists off for too long. Obviously Id change my mind if they paid the artists the correct royalties but to do so those subscribing will have to pay a lot more for their subscription, that is a GOOD THING.

    You cannot beat Holding the music in your hands

32. I’d say this highlights the second worst problem with streaming (content can be removed). To me the far bigger issue in most cases is that you get no choice as to which digital mastering of an album is available to stream, and it’s usually not the best available.

33. Fair play to NY. Not a good look for Spotify especially when they say they’ve removed other anti-vax stuff from their service. Essentially it boils down to having paid for Rogan and not for NY which tells you as much about the ethics of Spotify as it does about NY.

    Cannot imagine it’s a great loss to NY fans though. Hardcore fans will either have physical media to turn to or be subscribers to NY’s archive which gives you everything he’s ever done. And then some.

    Biggest losers here will be folk who have just the one NY song like Rockin’ In The Free World or Heart of Gold on a playlist.

34. Good for him.

    The reality is that Young can get by perfectly well without his streaming income, thus making it an easier decision. However, the more people that do this, the more Spotify weakens and the more it weakens, the more it will have to engage with artists. It would be good to see some of the people who tweeted their disapproval to Daniel Ek investing in the arms industry make the same decision. Until then…

35. Streaming is paying to listen to someone else’s record collection. It might be a vast collection, but it’s not your collection. You have no memories associated with it. Seems a rather soulless experience. Imagine wiping 40 years of record buying from your memory.
    I ‘ve discovered loads of music through YouTube, but I’ll always want to buy it if I like it.
    Music means too much, not to want to own it.

    1. That’s very well put. Although I guess you can still have memories from the first time you heard an album or track (which was always the case on the radio for so many songs) but never the same as putting the tape, vinyl and cd in a player and REALLY listening to it.

       1. It’s different now as all my music is bought online, but those memories from years ago browsing in all the record shops that used to adorn our city centres. I bought much less then but it meant so much. I’m still obsessive about music though. That will never die.

36. Not to suggest there are no young people (sorry!) into Young, but when you’re a legacy act like him, much of your fanbase would buy the physical albums anyway. It’s a lot harder for new bands to make the decision to remove themselves from Spotify though. I know people in their 20s who don’t own a CD player and mainly buy vinyl so they can frame the sleeve! Spotify is everything to them and they probably weren’t the demographic who listened to Neil Young anyway. So how do we convince younger people to buy physical? And they don’t even want to own MP3s these days!

37. Neil comes from a generation of musicians who stood for specific principles so I am glad he is sticking to that (regardless of what that principle might be). Since I do not stream music, this does not directly impact me. If I don’t have it on CD or vinyl or cassette or SACD or DVD-A or blu-ray audio or 8-track (yep, I still have a player and content) then I don’t listen to it. I agree with other commenters that streaming should be an extension of music you already own. Personally, I think that streams should be ‘unlocked’ by a code included in a physical product and streams available to others should be limited to either the songs available or the number of times you can listen to it. I know that creates a layer of complexity but there needs to be a better way.

38. Well done to him. Streaming should be in addition to owning music, not the main way of getting it. Full disclosure – i got an Amaxon Echo for my last birthday and have that on as background when i’m busy. Otherwise it’s vinyl or cd’s.

39. Fantastic news. Personally, I have never used Spotify, and will not on principle until they start treating music and musicians with the respect both deserve.
    If anyone chooses to complain about this…..how about digging deep and buying an album? By anyone – not just Neil Yoyng of course. There seem to be an awful lot of ‘big music fans’ who consider having to put their money where their mouth is and give an artist a few quid for their work as some sort of major imposition. I say this as someone who has been unemployed a while too, so certainly don’t have very much money.
    I hope other musicians follow this lead.

    1. Yes…I recently shelled out $80 or so for NY’s recent “Barn” in the CD/Vinyl/BluRay boxset…happier to do that than use Spotify anyday…

40. Couldn’t agree more. Streaming puts you at the mercy of a “provider” and is not ownership. I would rather be my own manager of my music collection than leave it to the unpredictable whims of a corporation.

41. This is one of the reason I chose a 512gb model for my latest iPhone…my entire music library rests there,offline. Never liked streaming services,yes sometimes I use them when there’s a big deal (10€ for 3 months), but I don’t see myself investing in something that leaves me empty handed the moment I stop paying…and if I were a Young fan who was paying Spotify to have the entire catalogue of my favorite artist I’d be terribly annoyed right now.

    1. Why should they be terribly annoyed? People who subscribe to these services to get music on the cheap are a huge part of the problem. Many artists are unable to continue playing music for a living directly as a result of streaming. Neil Young has withdrawn his music from Spotify for a different but totally justifiable reason.

42. I own most of the Neil Young back catalogue on both vinyl and cd, yet mainly listen to his music on the go, or in the background, using streaming services. If I like something I will always buy a physical copy. I fully support Neil’s stance despite it’s inconvenience to me.

43. I’m very glad that this site does not taint its purpose with chosing sides in this ugly argument. I’m sad if artists do.

44. I hold a lot of digital stuff and only buy special deluxe boxes. Spotify should only be about music and not podcasts. Remove them and the problem is solved I guess. But money might be the showstopper

    1. Spotify loses money streaming music – they always have since their inception – and have made it clear that they believe their path to music-streaming profitability is to pay artists and songwriters even less than the pittance they pay them now. They will never remove podcasts – it’s the only means they have to make a profit.

45. Suspect this won’t improve sales for Old Ways but love His Neilness for continuing to give it to the man.
    Hoping it’s not a sly attempt to direct $ to Neil’s own archive service but even then I kinda respect him if so.
    At worst it may encourage others to actually enjoy owning a physical product rather than renting music from streaming services.
    Let there be more resistance from other artists….are you listening Jeff Rosen per Zimmy.

46. Good on Neil, I can understand where he’s coming from and respect that he’s prepared to go for his morals over his wallet (especially with the tripe spouted by Spotify over the issue). However, I can also see that he’s in a position where he doesn’t need his Spotify income anyway. I don’t think any artist is 100% reliant on Spotify, but I can imagine that less successful artists may balk at pulling their catalogue, just for their livelihoods.
    As for streaming in general, I just prefer to have my music as mine, be it physical or downloaded onto my computer. I know that streaming is very convenient, but what happens when you lose your internet connection? That is the killer for me. All it takes is for my router to break down, and bye bye music if I’m completely in to streaming.

47. I’m totally for this.

    I only use streaming as my company pays for it, and only at work.

    The rest of the time it is stuff I have ripped and put on my phone.

    I much prefer physical products, I am from the generation that saved and bought music.

    I just wish more big acts did this.

48. Great, Neil, well done! ;-)

49. I stand with Neil Young, I hope other artists show the likes of Spotify that they’re in control of their music, whatever the reason for taking it off the service might be. And this is exactly why I buy CDs because nobody is going to take away my copy of Harvest Moon. Though I am sure my partner would like someone to take away my copy of Trans.

    1. Haha, great last line!

    2. Ha ha, Trans is fine ! Everybody’s rockin’, on the other hand…

       1. Absolutely, Remi! Everybody is not rockin’! As a child of the 80s I love Trans, sure it’s not like any other NY album but I think that, now, is part of the appeal!

    3. So, you’re saying your partner is Trans-phobic?

50. I agree this case shows the inherent problems with streaming, but it’s wrong to insist that physical media is the only alternative. I want to declutter my house and don’t have room for any more physical media lying around. The answer is to download DRM-free flac or mp3 files (depending on how much you value CD sound quality against file space). Back them up on a regular basis and you need never worry about losing your digital music collection.

    1. I’m a bit like you. Trying to save space because last time I moved I ended up storing 90% of my CD’s and 99% of my blu-ray into the new cellar, piled in boxes that are very difficult to reach and open. So lots of mp3/FLAC/Hi-Res FLAc on my computer and a reliable double backup scheme. But I still buy “nice/cool” objects like collector CD’s or vinyls (some of them from SDE Shop, of course). But now it’s 95% digital. And, well, even if I miss the object itself with a nice cover, Hi-Res FLAC is pretty good quality for my stereo/surround system. So I’m quite happy with this compromise.

       1. Can you recommend a good back up system? Serious question. I’m terrified of my hard drive dying.

          1. I pay £10 a month for 2TB of cloud storage on Google which is more than enough for me. I also have a 2TB external hard drive from Western Digital which you can get for £50 on Amazon. All of my music is backed up in those two places as well as on my PC hard drive.
             @CedricB: what stereo/surround system do you use to play flacs? I mostly listen to music on headphones or a Bluetooth speaker, but I wouldn’t mind getting something a bit more hi-fi.

          2. I have all my cd’s ripped on to my Innuos server. It has an integrated ripping system and a good app to choose your music with and listen to. It’s really a one stop shop.
             I too buy cd’s even if they’re available on Qobuz in hi-res. Spotify is modern day slavery of musicians in my opinion

          3. There are more complex ways, but why not just buy several cheap flash drives and “back-up” your music onto them regularly – every 2-3 months. Then keep the flash drives in a fireproof safe, or at your office….

             1. 5.25 inch floppy disks for me. They look like modern mini-LPs on the shelf…magnetic marvels!

51. What you write is true, Paul. With streaming services, we pay a sort of monthly rent, but we buy the albums only once (most of the time).

    1. Thats it, you rent the music, you don’t actually own it!

52. Fair play to Neil Young, he’s taking a stand for what he believes in even though it costs him money. Most internet industries and individuals seem to happily peddle nonsense and lies for money and clicks. I’ve never knowingly listened to a single track of his but he has gone up in my estimation. If several other artists joined suit it would make an even better point. Put your money where your mouth is time.

    1. You have never listened to Neil Young ?

       1. Too busy listening to Paul Young.

          Seriously I know he’s probably great an all but I wouldn’t even know where to start. There always seems too little time to waste in my life and every artist of Young’s longevity will have some clunkers that only a devotee could love and I know I will find that first and feel like I wasted another day. “Oh so you want to get into Japan / Sylvian…..? Here, listen to Died in the Wool”

          If I could embody the sound of the “X” from Family Fortunes / Family Feud I would insert it here.

          1. Clunkers there are but you don’t need to listen to them. Start with Everybody knows this is nowhere, After the gold rush and Harvest. If this does not convince you, nothing will.

          2. I agree that Neil Young’s massive output can be overwhelming for a novice. My interest started back in the mid 80s hearing Like a Hurricane from The Mission. Still one of my favorite versions of this song. Maybe youtube this song and in case you like it then play Live Rust. I was hooked afterwards.
             If you do not like it play Sisters of Mercy This Corrosion. Peace.

             1. Ah, come on ! Now I have the chorus stuck in my brain. “Hey now, hey now now… Sing this corrosion to me”… But Neil Young has nothing to do with it.

             2. From your mouth to god’s ears. I really want to hear a “Neil Does Mercy” cover album now. Deluxe edition, natch.

          3. Start with the double cd compilation ‘Decade’. It will be the best £10 you ever spend.

             1. This is a good idea.

             2. I actually prefer that 90s era “Greatest Hits” cuz that has “Rocking in the Free World” & “Harvest Moon”, 2 of his best songs, and enough of his earlier classics for a satisfying comp, even if it’s 1 disc over the 2CD or 3LP “Decade”…I may buy “Decade” but I have enough catalogue that it’s almost pointless to me & the GH has the fun DVD with the records & CD spinning & 2 vidclips of RITFW, Harvest Moon & info on each track…Decade served it’s purpose more in the 80s…

          4. Try listening to Jimmy Young. The Man From Laramie is a good starting point. TTFN.

          5. I’d look at ‘Rust never Sleeps’ for a classic mix of acoustic and electric followed by the majestic ‘Freedom’ and ‘Harvest Moon’ for its beauty but possibly avoid ‘Old Ways’ and ‘Everybody’s Rockin’

       2. To be honest, I collect Neil Young, find him more fun to collect than someone comparable with a similarly-sized catalogue like Bob Dylan, whom I like as well, but his religious adventures are almost a deal breaker for me…Neil is more my thing & I identify with his integrity too…with collecting him, start with that 90s-era “Greatest Hits”, which is the only title to have songs like “Down By The River”, “Like a Hurricane”, “Heart of Gold”, “Hey Hey My My”, “Southern Man”, “Rocking In The Free World” & “Harvest Moon” in one place…then delve deeper…it’s what I did…

    2. It will be very interesting to see if other artists do the same thing.
       Always glad when someone acts on principle rather than chase every dollar.

53. Positive vibes to Neil Young. Keep on rocking in the free world!

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