Mr. Young was not exactly negotiating from a standpoint of strength -– and a Spotify man doesn’t need him around anyhow.
The world of streaming is moving fast. Within seven days, we have been treated to singer Neil Young rising up and delivering an ultimatum to the streaming music platform Spotify over its willingness to allow Joe Rogan a platform, and then Spotify responding by basically pointing the dino-rocker towards the unlocked “exit” door. There have been some facts and common sense lost in all this chaos.
The cantankerous crooner’s gripe revolved around the controversy surrounding Rogan’s podcasts. He wrote to express his desires.Young stated that Spotify should drop its podcast king.
“Spotify has very recently become a very damaging force via its public misinformation and lies about Covid.”
Young cites the famous letter that Rogan took exception to, which he claims was written by hundreds upon hundreds of doctors. Young then turns down his fans.
He stated that most of Spotify’s listeners are 24 years old, and that they are impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth. It is a flawed approach on several levels. The first is that I have doubts about the size of the Neil Young fanbase at this age. 24-year-olds are not an age where you can be completely unvarnished, to the point of being unworldly and unworldly. Young’s career was explosive by this point.
Young, for example, had made numerous albums with Crazy Horse and Buffalo Springfield by the time he was his age. He also joined Crosby Stills, Nash and Young. He had appeared at Woodstock, and he penned the classic anti-war anthem, “Ohio”. It is insulting for him to make such a mockery of the audience. Young appears incapable of understanding this as well as his new position as the opposite of what he had been representing for so long.
Understand that the man who wrote “Rockin’ In The Free World” is working to kill off someone’s free expression. What’s the reason? Because he lobbying to support narratives that the government and the media are telling him. He isn’t rock-n-roll, he is taking sides with The Man.
The Neil Young-Joe Rogan issue contains many details that help to unravel Young’s stance. As we have seen, Young did not make his threats from a position of strength. Spotify already has It has placed podcasts as its top prioritySeveral years ago. 100 million was spent to get Joe Rogan on its platform. His broadcasts are heard by more than 10 million people. Neil Young has not been able to deliver content to the platform’s needs. The company quickly reacted to this ultimatum, as though they were in a meeting.
Now understand, Young was peacocking in his outrage–nothing more. Spotify was paying him very few royalties, if any. The labels receive royalties for most of the music streaming rights. You see this in Neil’s own words, regarding the desire to move from the outlet; “My legal representatives reminded me that I didn’t have any control over my music contractually..”
He then thanks his record label – Warner Brothers/Reprise Records – for supporting him in the decision. Young will likely absorb more money than Young.
Neil Young is with Paul McCartney (left) during Neil Young’s performance at Desert Trip 2016 on Saturday Oct. 8, 2016, Indio, Calif.
Young also seems to be a bit pompous because he not only has little money but has cashed out. Young sold his 50 percent share in rights to his music catalogue last year to the tune well above $100 million. The Spotify-record label was not worth the small amount of royalty he may have received, and he did not even feel it.
This makes the supposed noble position of the septuagenarian rebel totally ineffective. After following media instructions, he attracted attention from the press, putting no real risks to his life. The company responded with a shrug.
Young made $150 million selling his catalogue last year, which is just grandstanding for the government’s approved narrative.
You are such a rebellious, edgy rocker.
He can be called Kneel Young. https://t.co/3ts7iR1otW
— Brad Slager – Incontinent On Another Continent (@MartiniShark) January 27, 2022
This display is unlikely to impress anyone unless they abide by every word of the government and obey their political leaders. Just like Neil Young.
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