https://bit.ly/3odTLuy

This is SO close to what we want, but it’s still not there yet.

We don’t need to see Joe Rogan go, but we need to see misinformation go. And this screed pulls up to the bumper but does not deliver.

A warning for ALL Covid related content?

This is the false-equivalency that has gotten us into this fracas, this challenge of democracy, that has turned the United States into a bastion of misinformation, giving gravitas to that which deserves no attention whatsoever. The fringe gets amplified just like the mainstream, and then it challenges the mainstream for prominence. This can’t happen. This is what is ultimately leading to authoritarianism ALL AROUND THE WORLD! And coming back from authoritarianism is very difficult. Then again, if there’s an attempted coup, usually the perpetrators are penalized, if not outright killed, to disincentivize coups in the future. But we’ve got Donald Trump last night saying if he’s elected he wants to pardon January 6th participants. As for his reelection…forget the seven plus million votes between him and Biden, the presidency in the U.S. is decided by the Electoral College system, meaning you can lose the popular vote and be elected anyway, can you say 2000, can you say 2016? Which is why Neil Young and the rest of the MAJORITY are up in arms that the MINORITY constantly gets a pass. In truth, the odds of Trump being reelected in 2024 are quite high, and the ground has been laid for the results of the election to be contested if he doesn’t win. Talk about sowing chaos. This is why we need things clearly defined re misinformation, re Joe Rogan, on Spotify.

No, podcasts with MISINFORMATION must be labeled! That’s how the rest of the already recalcitrant platforms do it. And sure, this requires some judgment, but if someone says the earth is flat, or that there are thirteen inches in a foot, it’s quite clear. If someone says vaccines result in worse Covid infection outcomes it’s clear that that is plain wrong, and those perpetrating these falsehoods must be labeled. On Twitter they give you a strike for MISINFORMATION. Why can’t Spotify do this?

Because it’s afraid of pissing someone off.

But what did they say in the sixties, when Neil Young started to have an impact? YOU’RE EITHER PART OF THE PROBLEM OR PART OF THE SOLUTION!

Spotify can’t skate here. Its policy re Covid info is just like Trump saying there were good people on both sides in Charlottesville. End result? MORE ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-MINORITY BEHAVIOR! If you let something slide, expect more of it. And if there are rules, the perps try to skate around them, like Texas with its abortion law. And it looks like Texas is going to get away with it. The majority of Americans want the protection of Roe v. Wade but it will be out the window and they will lose their rights. It’s a slippery slope and Spotify must pick a side, must enter the fray, must add some clarity, not pass the buck. TO WHO? Who is going to decide these issues? We no longer have faith in the Supreme Court, stacked by Mitch McConnell, a mealy-mouthed prick who with a straight face changes the rules on a whim. You can’t confirm a Supreme Court justice for a year before an election if you’re a Democrat, but if you’re a Republican? Trump gets Amy Coney Barrett confirmed in a matter of days before the vote. Talk about losing faith in the system.

So, a majority of Republicans believe the election was stolen, that Trump won. They’re enacting heinous voting laws throughout the country to ensure a Republican victory next time, but Daniel Ek is passing the buck. But in truth, corporations rule in the twenty first century. We don’t pay our fealty to “artists,” sold-out whores, but companies! People believe in Apple, not some singer or rapper. So it’s corporations that have to make the decision.

And the truth is Daniel Ek is in Sweden, which has an anti-immigrant fervor, but is so far advanced beyond America socially it’s not even funny. That’s right, those on the right consider Scandinavia a hotbed of socialism, but they’ve never been there, nor almost anywhere else. Sure, you pay more in taxes, but you get a ton of services in return, like free health care. And the truth is if you take care of all the citizens, especially those on the bottom, you have a less striated society with far less unrest.

But forget Daniel Ek being in a bubble, too many of the bloviators are too! On Bill Maher’s HBO show Matt Welch was saying there was no civil war coming, that at most a few hundred people would take up arms. HE SHOULD BE PRIVY TO MY INBOX! That’s the problem with those on the left, the talking heads, they really have no idea what is going on in the heads not in their socioeconomic group. Or they get their news from national outlets that get it wrong too. The “New York Times” and the rest of the national outlets completely missed the Trump train in 2016. I hear from those on the right all day every day. And if you don’t think they’re agitated and willing to take action…you have no exposure to them.

Sure, Daniel Ek wants Spotify to be agnostic, try not to offend anyone. But that will never happen. And today’s announcement won’t appease Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren and Brene Brown and… Pulling your music from Spotify is not something you can do with a finger snap. Most of the big artists don’t have that right. Their recordings are owned by others and oftentimes the publishing too. And if they’re licensed…the terms may not allow them to unilaterally pull the plug. Hell, David Crosby says he stands with Neil but no longer controls his content, then again, if he cared that much he could call Irving Azoff, who does, who has been a champion of artists’ rights forever.

Yes, it’s not only Daniel Ek and Spotify who are afraid to take a stand, it’s most of the artists too. I hate to tell you, but you don’t appeal to everybody, no one can, and by taking a stand your fans become more enamored of you. How come only those on the right understand this? Kid Rock? Aaron Lewis? On the right you don’t have to be afraid, but on the left??

As for providing a hub for accurate Covid information… Ek is as knowledgeable as it comes when it pertains to the internet. Getting someone to click is the hardest thing to do. Which is why everybody who is trying to do it employs click-bait headlines. Come here for accurate Covid information! That’s anything but sexy, and if you really care you can find this information with a cursory Google. But the people believing in Rogan’s proffered insanity, which can result in death, have no interest in the truth, “truth” is now a team sport, you believe what you want to believe, and people are not getting vaccinated because that’s the mantra of their team, forget science!

And in truth, these mega-platforms reach more people than traditional outlets like the “Times,” “Post” and “Journal,” that’s why this war is being fought on Spotify!

And in truth, Spotify may be an audio content company, but without music it’s dead in the water. Music is its power, what brings people in, it’s the gas at the service station, few would stop at the attached mini-mart if they didn’t need fuel.

And what has Spotify got to lose here? Labeling misinformation? I mean are you really gonna get in trouble with the right for this? And also, in truth, Rogan has got a big audience, but it’s very narrow. If you kicked Rogan off completely you wouldn’t lose many subscribers. Whereas music reaches EVERYBODY! And you’ve got to know more acts are going to line up behind Neil as the days go on.

And plenty of them need to be shamed. Tom Morello? Bruce Springsteen? Bruce sold his rights for $500 million and now he’s silent? Are his hands tied? This is another reason not to sell your rights, you lose control, you lose power, and no amount of money can buy that back.

Meanwhile, Neil Young keeps gaining power by the minute. All those jokes about the younger generations not knowing who Neil Young is…THEY DO NOW! And his image is burnished, he becomes even more of a legend. All the classic acts worried about their legacies… If you take a stand, maybe you’ll be remembered!

And we know rock and roll. There’s a leader, a few other heavyweights get involved and then everybody is knocking at the door to participate. Expect Styx and Debbie Gibson to take a stand down the line, they want that ink!

Now if you negotiate, you know you always ask for more than you want and you never take the first offer. Daniel Ek’s post is a first offer. We’re willing to let Rogan stay, but we need more. It’d be best if offensive podcasts, those laden with inaccurate Covid info, were not hosted, but at least label them. And don’t label those that are truthful, why should everybody be tarred with the sins of Joe Rogan and his misinformation?

Neil Young has proven the power of a musician. Do you really want to battle with him and so many more? There’s no way you can win. Spotify’s image will be tarred forever, and online, when there are options, image is everything. There are alternatives to Spotify.

So Spotify, you got caught in a kerfuffle at the bleeding edge. Do you want to be like the record companies? State alternative facts, like CDs are better? And then tar every file trader with the brush of copyright infringement without investigating why they’re trading, and the advantages thereof, even suing them in the process? And for all the b.s. of the burgeoning of file-trading being about the cost, i.e. free, then why in hell is everybody paying for a Spotify subscription? You’ve got to listen to the customer.

And here the active customer wants fairness and truth, they want a stand against the misinformation taking down our society. I mean what are Neil and his compatriots asking for? TRUTH? I didn’t think that was such a big ask.

And by not delivering it, Spotify has lost billions in market value. And Facebook stock bounces back because there are no alternatives, and the company owns Instagram and WhatsApp too. But the world does not need Spotify, there are alternatives, maybe not as good, but VHS beat Beta.

We need more. Not only Neil Young, but all of America. We need something we can agree on. Facts. Facts are not fungible. The sun comes up every day. And if you’re not vaxxed, the odds of dying are double-digit times higher than if you are vaxxed. And forget all the self-reported VAERS numbers, and RFK, Jr.’s idiocy, in truth the number of sustained negative vaccine effects are INFINITESIMAL! And the vaccines were not developed overnight, but over YEARS AND YEARS!

Ivermectin? Remember when it was hydroxychloroquine?

Birth control pills. You heard it here first. They cure Covid, absolutely! I just made that up, see how easy it is? But to come up with facts, to do the science, that’s much harder. Like creating Spotify to begin with. Come on, there’s no alternative facts in programming, it’s all 0’s and 1’s, it either works or it doesn’t, so Daniel Ek knows facts better than almost everyone, people like Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers and…who know how to fight in the arena, but have no idea how to program.

We need more.

This isn’t about Spotify. This is about misinformation, and drawing a line in the sand.

It’s also about Neil Young and his credibility.

For decades we’ve heard that selling out doesn’t matter, that you should take the money, that you should become a brand, that your music is just a step towards becoming a conglomerate, that the public doesn’t care and neither should you.

But this is patently wrong.

No one else could lead this charge, make this stand, because they don’t have a concomitant amount of credibility, nowhere close. Except maybe for Paul McCartney and Don Henley. But at this point McCartney is overexposed, trying to stay relevant, making crap with the young ‘uns, as for Mr. Henley…remember when he got us all interested in Walden Woods?

One thing Young and Henley share is they’re not warm and fuzzy. They’re iconoclastic. They put the music first, and you can accept it or not. And the public did.

Now the Eagles have never licensed “Hotel California,” in fact they’ve sued people who ripped-off the name. And some might see this as an abuse of power, Disneyesque, but music is not like movies, movies are a facsimile of life, music is life itself. You can easily taint a song. Hell, “Good Vibrations” has been whored out to the point where it’s lost its underlying meaning and a whole bunch of its charisma. But people just know “Hotel California,” and “Heart of Gold,” they’re in the ether. Then again, they both were hits before the internet came along and blew the old paradigm to hell, before everything became so much smaller.

The fact that youngsters are laughing at Neil Young, oh you’ve heard the jokes, misses the point completely. They’re all into vinyl, it’s only a matter of time before they get into classic rock and start building upon it. And it’s not only the music, but the values. But you’ve got to be an outsider, you’ve got to follow your own muse, you can’t care what others think, and in this alienated world people are loath to do so, being a member of a club gives them identity, and without it you’re isolated and depressed.

So Neil Young takes a stand and…instantly it’s international news.

270 doctors took a stand just a few weeks ago and…crickets. If you read the news comprehensively you were aware of this. Then again, not if you were ensconced in the right wing news bubble. This story didn’t penetrate it. But Neil Young? He crosses all lines, he penetrates EVERYTHING!

That’s the power of a rock star.

No young act has this power. These young acts have acolytes, fans who will defend them to the death, publicly diss their hero and you’ll feel the blowback for years. But don’t confuse the power of these new acts with that of Neil Young.

It’s not like people are talking about Neil Young 24/7, but they’re not forgetting about him either. As for Springsteen, he’s opened up, become warm and fuzzy, whereas if anything Young has flown even farther from the center down a hole of his own making, that’s why he’s so interesting,.

Young wouldn’t be so interesting if he worked with Max Martin, if he tried to have a hit. It’s all Neil all the time. He writes the songs, he doesn’t buy beats and sit down with seventeen people to finish them. The statements come straight from Neil, and that’s quite a surprise these days. And sure, there are acts following in Neil’s footsteps, my inbox will fill up with protestation, especially from the never known pressing their music upon me. But the truth is Neil has traction. Yes, he built his career under the old system, but he’s stayed true to his ethos.

Come on, there’s a ton of history here. David Geffen suing him for putting out uncommercial music. And then there were the bio vehicles and music quality and Pono… Even pushback against GMOs. Was Neil right every time? No. But he put it out there, he’s not afraid of taking a risk and he’s not afraid of the naysayers. As a result, he’s got tons of fans, and they’re not fly by night, they’re dedicated. And maybe they only like “Harvest.” Or the Crazy Horse stuff. It doesn’t matter, something Neil did resonated with them and they can’t forget it. Furthermore, so many of the classic tracks, that we know by heart were never hits. “Down By the River”? “Old Man”? “Alabama”? You know ’em because you played them over and over again.

Spotify?

It’s a business.

There’s so much to laud with Spotify. It literally saved the recorded music business. And it all comes down to one person, Daniel Ek. He believed when almost no one did. He flew around the world trying to convince rights holders. The VCs? They had little traction. But this nobody pulled it off. That’s more rock and roll than any of the acts bitching that they’re not making enough money on his service. Then again, Daniel Ek knows math, and those acts do not.

And that’s one other thing that came out in this brouhaha. That Spotify accounts for 60% of Neil Young’s worldwide streams.

Huh? But Spotify only has thirtysomething percent market share!

People keep e-mailing me. About Spotify stalling. About competitors. But the bottom line is active music listeners are on Spotify. Period. A stream may be worth more on a competing service, but that just means fewer people are listening! It’s about exposure, especially today, distribution trumps everything. If your music is not heard, you’re nowhere.

But there are alternatives to Spotify, which is what makes this Joe Rogan case unique.

Everyone bitches about Facebook. But where else are its users supposed to go? Ditto re Instagram. And TikTok. And YouTube. Of course there’s some crossover between all these platforms, but in many ways they’re unique. Whereas the similarities between Amazon, Apple and Spotify far outweigh the differences. You can switch platforms and not lose that much. Hell, Apple is now pushing that you can hear Neil on its music service. You don’t see some social media company doing the same, competing with Facebook.

So this is a test case. This is where the war is being fought.

It should be fought at Facebook. But because of the lack of competition and the hubris of Mark Zuckerberg, along with the duplicity and misinformation of Sheryl Sandberg and the rest of the execs, the company evades accountability and ultimately doesn’t change. As for change…it’s all algorithms, a secret sauce no one who doesn’t work at the company is privy to. And after the whistleblower, Facebook has been siloed, you can work there and have no idea what is going on at the company other than in your own vertical.

But we’ve got to push back against technology. We have to recapture truth from the techies who have taken it from us, knowingly or unknowingingly.

That’s the issue. It’s got nothing to do with payouts or audio quality or any of the sub subjects being discussed ad infinitum in the past few days. And I hate to tell you, but Spotify is so superior to the other services it’s not even funny. Works right away. Log into Apple and at first it won’t stream, it says you’re not authorized. And on Amazon the albums are not in chronological order. That takes money and manpower, and people who believe it’s important. And first and foremost, Spotify is superior because of its algorithms. They provide personalized music to every subscriber. Old tunes, new tunes, playlists of what you’ve been listening to. As for the constant drumbeat of the power of playlists, Spotify announced this week that the majority of listening comes from active choices: https://bit.ly/3ILCJvE Passive is a provided playlist. Active means you pick the tracks you want to hear yourself. All that b.s. about playlists… They’re for the passive, those who use music as background, not the early adopters and fans who spread the word.

But the sound on Apple and Amazon is better. It’s not only the bit rate, but the codec. However, Spotify plays right away. I’ve tested this again and again and again. It makes no sense, but Spotify will play when Apple and Amazon won’t. Maybe the latter need more bandwidth, I don’t know. But you want your music all the time, right?

As far as Daniel Ek and Spotify…

They have no coherent detailed misinformation policy. The best explanation of this is here: https://lat.ms/3H67o6l

There has to be a defined policy. There’s got to be clear penalties. We have to restore faith in the truth. I’m not saying that cannot be debated, but on a lot of topics, especially science, it can’t. Rogan has said that the vaccines cause more heart problems in young people than getting Covid. The expert guest says he’s absolutely wrong, Rogan doesn’t own it, then goes online and sees that the expert was right, but then Joe starts questioning the article he Googled. Watch this:

“Joe Rogan ignores Covid science while reading it out loud”: https://bit.ly/3AIFquQ

And while you’re at it, watch this one too:

“Jordan Peterson got his climate info on controversial Joe Rogan podcast from an Exxon-funded climate denier”: https://bit.ly/34h7cmm

This guy is completely wackadoodle. He says all the climate change data is b.s. because…the meaning of “climate” has to be taken into account and his definition is different from the experts’.

And in the case of the climate change guy, there was huge blowback:

“Scientist slam Joe Rogan’s podcast episode with Jordan Peterson as ‘absurd’ and ‘dangerous’: https://cnn.it/3HfnJWy

And what do both of the above incidents have in common? THEY WEREN’T COVERED BY RIGHT WING MEDIA!

Never mind Rogan hosting other inane Covid deniers.

So we’re supposed to give Rogan a pass because there are worse offenders? How do we stop the insanity? Where’s Susan Powter when we need her!

This story isn’t just about Spotify and it’s not just about Joe Rogan. This is a story about all media. And it took Neil Young to shine a light on it, a rock star.

All these corporations have these social responsibility efforts. Do-gooding behavior that burnishes the company’s image. But when it comes down to the most important thing, TRUTH, they’re silent, unlike Neil Young they’re afraid to take a stand, they’re mealy-mouthed, they fear alienating the ignorant. Is that how we should run our country? At the level of the mis and uninformed? Trump loved those people. As for truth, he won the election you know. That’s right, tons of Republicans believe this and elected officials are afraid to deny the Big Lie for fear of incurring Trump’s wrath. This is the country we want to live in?

What did John Lennon famously sing?

“All I want is the truth

Just give me some truth, now”

That was what rock stars were seeking. That’s why John Lennon may be the most revered rock star of all time. Forget the melodies, the vocals, he was willing to put everything on the line for his beliefs. Paul McCartney ultimately said we should give Ireland back to the Irish, but that’s a forgotten blip in his career, whereas a search for truth, an excision of b.s., is what John Lennon was all about.

And almost nobody is about today.

So who knows, maybe Spotify will cave here or it won’t. But if it doesn’t, that just adds fuel to the rest of the entities supporting misinformation. If we can’t stop Spotify, what are the odds we can stop Fox News? NIL!

And if you think Rogan’s speech has no effect, I proffer this e-mail I got: 

“From: Dulcie May Mareno

Re: Re-Neil Young/Spotify

Hey Bob,

Dulcie here from Canterbury, UK.

I realised I’ve been directly affected by Joe Rogans podcasts.  My partner religiously tunes in to these and expressed so much worry about the vaccine that neither of us have had it, were in our 30’s.

I suffer with OCD and anxiety, so once I get an idea in my head it is frankly impossible to shake it off. The nature of obsessive compulsive behaviour.

I have scheduled it many times but chickened out as I don’t want to go alone.

It sounds pathetic, but this is the reality of mis-information for the sensitive and troubled among us , which is probably 50% at least of the entire population, if not more!

I’m a jazz singer and I want to keep singing in venues but I now have the added anxiety knowing I haven’t had the vaccine.

Mis information needs to be stopped, Joe Rogan and his conspiracy theories, unless there is basis on some actual FACTS it should be illegal to spread this kind of false news. Speculation should be saved for philosophical conversations. They are far more interesting anyway!

Thanks for talking about some really important and interesting stuff.

Yours

Dulcie”

Rickie Lee is so forthright and honest it will astound you. We talk about being on stage, insecurity, relationships…it’s like sitting down with your best friend. Amazing.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rickie-lee-jones/id1316200737?i=1000549158202

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/fda3c91e-e72c-435c-bf73-4a54a653e972/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-rickie-lee-jones

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/rickie-lee-jones-90024395

I cancelled my premium service with Spotify today.  I moving towards lossless audio anyway…gonna hang with Neil.  He’s always had my back since I’ve lived on Sugar Mountain.

Bill Cason

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You’re absolutely right that Spotify won’t listen unless users make a statement, so I just completely canceled my family plan and made sure they knew the reason was Rogan and his misinformation.

I’ll take Neil over Joe any day.

L Eilers

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I cancelled my Spotify last night and switched to Apple. I said ‘I’m with Neil’. Maybe more need to say that.

Len Cater

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Yes. Yes. Yes.  Just canceled my subscription!

LaRhonda Tracy

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Hi Bob,about time a musician came out and said something.I’m cancelling Spotify.Joined Amazon and Neil Young Archives.He’ll get alot of subscribers from this.More people should leave Spotify.Really bad press.Wall Street doesn’t like that.Stay well.It’s snowing again here in CO.Ted Keane

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Goodbye, Spotify! We’re going with Apple.

– Ralph & Becky Torres

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I left Spotify for Amazon HD about 3 years ago…Spotify has better algorithms I think (those playlists are great) but the lack of HD was the main reason for me. This news makes me feel even better about my decision.

Ric Ruiz Esparza

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I just emailed Spotify and told them I was about to cancel my membership – that they need to kick Rogan off now.

Everyone who doesn’t accept these lies and disinformation should have this email and tell Spotify to change.

support@spotify.com

Thanks Bob – I continue to appreciate and value your missives.

cheers,

Mike Sturgill

Britt Festival, Wave Form Concerts

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My friend Al McGee, who is a First Responder and an RN sent me this note he sent to Spotify.  I just turned him onto your newsletter and also have cancelled my Premium subscription to Spotify.

If enough of us do it hopefully they will take notice.  His comments below hit the mark.  He was also previously in the music business as a Manager at HMV.

Always enjoy your posts.

Mike Peters

Pacific Music & Art

 FYI…

Begin forwarded message:

From: Al McGee
Date: January 26, 2022 at 16:26:35 PST
To: office@spotify.com
Subject: Re: You’ve canceled your Spotify subscription

Dear Spotify Corporation,

Just an FYI….I canceled my premium service due to your weak policy and stance regarding Joe Rogans’ (Podcast), via his continued self promotion negating science and reality.

I am a  Fire First Responder AND work as an RN, I find the whole thing disturbing, at the least. Interestingly today “ Rogan had Jordan Peterson on his most recent episode to promote climate science denial.”

I have happily signed up for Apple Music and also understand they support their artists with a higher fee structure along with some form of moral compass.

Anyhow, I am sure this WILL NOT change anything, but I find it sad (collectively) that as a large corporation you can’t find a way to have a policy in place, at a minimum, and have basic morals and ethics regarding your talent, at a maximum..

Kind regards,

Alan McGee

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I don’t know you but have been subscribed for a long time now, avid reader.  I’m not in the music business.  I’m not a huge NYA fan and he doesn’t need my money.  I laughed at Pono.  But you know what? I subscribed for a year.  Paid my $19.99.  Good for him, making a stand.  I don’t need spotify.

Sincerely,

Gower

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I’ve considered leaving Spotify for a high-res music service over the last few months as I’ve gotten deeper into my audiophile headphone obsession. But I trusted Spotify to launch its high-res service in 2021, as promised. Ek and Co. didn’t deliver and have provided ZERO updates since the original announcement of its hi-fi streaming plans last spring, shafting customers just as it has shafted artists with miniscule streaming royalty payments since its inception.

I’m not a Neil zealot, but I like his music and commitment to causes and principle. So, when he made the accurate point that Spotify is encouraging misinformation by coddling its cash cow poster boy/village idiot Rogan, I made the jump and opened a Qobuz account. No regrets.

Spotify is a service of algorithms. But the company’s most important algorithm is one that screws the artist and the customer, all in the name of growth and profits.

Sincerely,

Paul Kelly

Marcellus, NY

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premium member Spotify since 2019.

just turned 60 yrs young.

believe in freedom of speech ……and also …. words and actions have consequences.

Good on Mr. Young. It would be interesting to hear the chatter now amongst his peers. A charitable, formidable artist taking a stand. That contact list must be pretty large. … but then again, those rich monthly royalty cheques from Spotify must be hard to turn off.

It seems I’ll be getting my streamed music elsewhere. Spotify probably doesn’t care my monthly donation has disappeared from their revenue stream …. and that’s the wonder of choice in the marketplace.

 

I was surviving listening to music pre-Spotify and I’ll survive listening to music post-Spotify…..there will be other Spotify’s.

I will continue to listen to my musical playlists via another means again as well as continue to discover new music through other means (including this e-mail) …. and hopefully will find a music stream which supports artists in a more respectful manner.

…and I’ll keep on listening to my chosen podcasts via a little app called: Podcasts … including The Lefsetz

peace

 

Ken Hunter in Vancouver

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Streaming music has become a commodity, a parity product. I subscribe to three streaming services right now and with one major exception they are all about the same. One may have a song that others don’t or one’s UI might be a little bit easier to work with, but in the end they’re all the same in many ways.

The thing that is not the same about Spotify is that their quality just blows. They promised us lossless or at least higher quality audio by the end of 2021 and here we are without it. I can get better audio from Apple, Amazon, or Tidal, so I really don’t need Spotify even though I’ve been with them since the very beginning. I dumped them because the quality of their music is terrible not because of the Neil Young thing.

Yes, I’m not happy about the Neil Young thing and the fact that Spotify went with their wallet and chose Joe Rogan over Mr Young, but they are a business and they can do what they want. But if there are other services that offer me a better quality listening experience, they will get my money and not Spotify. And bonus, I won’t have to look at my homepage full ofall of the podcasts that I will never listen to on Spotify

Businesses make decisions everyday, and they need to live with those decisions. Spotify has never really cared about its users, so I’m guessing Daniel won’t be losing any sleep tonight because me, or thousands like me, dropped his service.

Mark Edwards Edelstein

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I am a Spotify client, but this makes me question whether I will change to Apple now.  I have always been thinking about it, but just didn’t go through with it.  The outliers have taken over the airwaves.  The vast majority is doing what they need to do get through this pandemic, cause people in the end, all what the same thing…
Now we’ve tolerated people spewing falsehoods in the name of free speech….well nothing’s free in this world, and your effects on your neighbours, whether it’s taking their place in a hospital bed, or other, shouldn’t be free either….there should be a price.

I’m starting by making value based decisions….and thank you Neil for reminding me how good that feels.

Glenn Moran

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I know where I stand but the idea of giving up Spotify is hard. But he has me thinking on it.

Michael Becker

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I just wish there was a suitable alternative to Spotify. But Apple Music sucks (especially if you’re stuck on a PC instead of a Mac). What are the other ones? Tidal? Amazon Music? I don’t want a fringe service. If I pay for it, I want all the songs and the ability to seamlessly play them on any of my devices. Spotify, unfortunately, ticks the most boxes (their UX and UI is seriously taking steps backward though).

Sarah Martin

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I’m with Patagonia and Neil Young all the way. Unlike his band of hypocrites, it’s what Jesus would do.
Gay

P.S. All birthday and Christmas gifts in 2021 were purchased from Patagonia in both Canada and USA.

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I have a portrait photograph of Neil up in my house, right above my music stand. He’s an inspiration for more than music. He turned out to be the only one who meant what he said, meant what we all thought they all meant, and still stands for the truth. He never sold out. Every other major artist of that era gave in, cried uncle, (in fact we shoulda seen Clapton’s disappointing vax behavior coming way back when he sold a song to Michelob beer. He was the first).

There’s only Neil.

Paul Gigante

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Relative to your disinformation observations, anti-vaxxers can dismiss & deny the efficacy of vaccines all they want; doubt the death toll is accurate & make whatever bullshit excuse they want so they can feel better about their decision.

But here’s a microcosm of America:

One of my nephews is a funeral director in Ohio. In the two months preceding Christmas last year he had buried 88 people that suffered covid related deaths.

85 of the 88 hadn’t been vaccinated. That’s 96.6% of those deaths.

Let’s see them spin that.

Frank Palombi

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What do you mean Spotify needs a policy?

Do you hear songs on there with lyrics like “Hey kids eat detergent pods. “They’re totally safe and the good for you, good for you, good for you…”?

No?

How about this song? “Hail the Nazis. Kill the Jews. Hitler’s like God. The Holocaust is a lie. A lie. A lie.”

Have you heard a song like that on Spotify?

If not, and we can suspect how Spotify would respond to songs like that, why is it so hard to understand what Neil Young is saying: “Hey hey, my my  … Stop telling people that covid is a lie. And that if they get the vaccine which is desperately needed then maybe they’ll die.” Or something like that.

Besides this is not a dispute between the NFL and Aaron Rogers. Or the USTA vs. Novak Djokovic.  This is effing Neil Young.

This Neil Young:

“Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming;

We’re finally on our own;

This summer I hear the drumming;

Four dead in Ohio.”

Funny thing is I just got my first smart speaker last weekend and I was enjoying using Spotify as a music source. That said I’ve canceled my subscription. F*** Spotify. And f***** Joe Rogan.

Thank you Neil.

Bill Lichtenstein

Somerville, MA