Earlier this week, Neil Young made waves when he announced that all of his music would be removed from the streaming service Spotify. Young made this announcement after he raised objections to the streaming service decision to continue platforming Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast.
This was brought on by the singer-songwriter speaking out in protest against statements Rogan is making in his podcasts regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Before this, Young had given the music streaming service a sort of ultimatum. Telling Spotify they would lose his music if they continued to stream Rogan’s podcast.
Since then, Spotify has honored Neil Young’s request and removed all of his music from their service. Now, Young has doubled down on his criticisms, claiming that Spotify cuts the quality of the music the service streams. He also noted that the competitors give a better quality product.
“Amazon, Apple Music and Qobuz deliver up to 100% of the music today and it sounds a lot better than the s****y, degraded and neutered sound of Spotify,” Neil Young says, according to a Variety report.
The longtime singer went on to note that, with this in mind, anyone who supports Spotify is a party to “destroying an art form.”
“If you support Spotify, you are destroying an art form,” Neil Young says. The “Walk On” singer notes that he feels Spotify focuses on business, rather than the meaning behind the type of content the service chooses to stream.
“Business over art,” Young says. “Spotify plays the artist’s music at 5% of its quality and charges you like it was the real thing.”
Neil Young Encourages Fans To Explore Other Streaming Options
Young goes on to note that the other streaming services are ones that he feels support the arts.
“Switch to one of the alternatives,” the singer-songwriter tells his fans. “Companies that support the arts.”
And, the artist notes, these platforms are ones he feels provide a better quality service.
“Real sound is available there,” Young says of the Spotify alternatives. “You just have to leave Spotify and go to a place that truly cares about music quality.”
Since the uproar started earlier this week, questions have been raised about whether Young is attempting to squelch Spotify’s right to free speech. As in, the services’ right to stream Rogan as well as Young’s music. However, the longtime artist notes that this is not the case.
“Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from,” Young notes.
“Just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information,” the singer-songwriter continues of his decision to pull his music from Spotify. “I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front-line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.”
