Neil Young: Tech Giants Rip Off Artists
Once again, Neil Young speaks truth to power.
In a posting to Neil Young Archives (NYA) Times-Contrarian, Young rips into the technology mega corporations in his latest essay "Google & Artists". Neil writes that artists are being forced to distribute their music in the digital world, “a world where the artist is paid last, if at all, by the Tech Giants.”
“Today, in the age of FaceBook, GOOGLE, and Amazon, it’s hard to tell how a new and growing musical artist could make it in the way we did.
The Tech Giants have figured out a way to use all the great music of everyone from all time, without reporting an artist’s number of plays or paying a fucking cent to the musicians. Aren’t they great companies!!! It makes you wonder where the next generation of artists will come from. How will they survive?
‘Don’t be Evil.’ That was GOOGLE’S corporate motto as they directed users to pirate sites to get artist’s creations and not pay!! Amazing tech breakthrough!! Meanwhile, they reap the bucks from ads people read while listening to music made by the artists.
GOOGLE just changed their motto to ‘Do the Right Thing,’ but haven’t changed anything else as they continue to rip off the artist community, building their wealth on music’s back and paying nothing to the artists.”
Young wrote that he thought of the struggles young artists face today while listening to his own 1996 album, Broken Arrow, made with his band Crazy Horse.
Image from "Broken Arrow" Album Liner Notes
And this is just one more reason why we sing this song because we love the man.
We fully support Neil Young's quest for that level playing field that the Tech Giants have monopolized to marginalize anything that doesn't fit their Master Plan.
As long time Thrasher's Wheat readers know, we have had confrontations with Facebook over the years since being suspended in 2015. (See An Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO FACEBOOK and An Open Letter (#2) to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO FACEBOOK.)
Tech Giants, we the people, do NOT trust you. You guys have blocked us, shadow banned us, de-monetized us, and harassed/trolled us relentlessly. But all of your efforts have failed -- we're still standing.
"They" have tried to take us down by canceling our advertising partnerships, or blocking our ability to run Google Ads, or hacking our Twitter account, or filing fraudulent transactions on our PayPal account, or disrupting the ISP service of our partner WBKM.org and Thrasher's Wheat Radio, or screwing around with our Amazon partner links, or jerking us around about Willie for a Nobel, capping our LIKES below 30K and unsub'g folks automatically, throttled our once robust reader comments eco-system suspending the Gigs for the Gulf page based on false copyright infringement claims, trying to make exposing environmental crimes a crime, disrupting freedom of speech and assembly, or humiliating and mocking our efforts when we try and stand up, algorithmic censorship to lower our rank off of Top 10 Search results or gaslighting us with "fake Neil news", sending in all sorts of trolls and spammers to disrupt the Neil community, or making exposing a war crime a war crime or blasting us with near Stuxnet-like levels of crippling attacks on our servers, dropped from Google News as a legitimate (non-fake) news source and on & on...
Is that the best you got? We're still here. Just remember, TW has been around longer than Google, Amazon or Facebook. The corruption on the highest floors will cease and Justice will triumph. The Truth and The Light will always prevail and overwhelm the darkest of the Darkness of Corruption.
As usual, everyone supports freedom of speech -- as long as it aligns with their views and politics. It's an angry world but we won't quit...
ps - And "Thank You" Mr. Zuckerberg for suspending our FaceBook account, saving us from all of your FB troll-bot zombie hordes (not referring to rusties)! Or Mr. Z - Liar? Idiot? Or Both?.
No fear... The Big Shift crushes it... open the Tired Eyes...
'She was welded to the eagle's beak
sun green leaned into that megaphone
and said, "truth is all i seek" '
~~"Sun Green" by Neil Young
Labels: freedom, neil young, truth
by thrasher@PermaLink: 2/26/2018 01:30:00 PM
14 comments
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14 Comments:
This issue has been going on now for years and I agree with Neil that new artists will have a difficult time getting anyone interested in what they create. Unfortunately we have bought into the technology without realizing what price was to be paid.
We’ve all been taken for a ride and were led like lemmings to the slaughter and it’s frankly too late to stop the machine that has taken over our lives. Everything you say or do is being monitored so you can be sold to and followed and we have happily surrendered our civil rights in the process.
There is no turning back. Frankly I’m sorry I ever got a computer and smart phone as I too am part of the problem.
Peace
No regrets Dan.
These latest moves are signs of desperation as the realization by Big Tech that The Big Shift is well underway.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned last year. We don't see FB caretaker Mr Z hanging on much longer either. Same for Twitter and so on.
There's no business model for what has been happening. Anyone who thinks the profits are from advertising is dreaming. The $'s are from selling your personal data.
The tech is a tool that can be used for us or against us. Here @ TW, we think folks know what we've been trying to do. And so many have joined the cause since we began here in 1996. Everyday our brothers and sisters in arms grow. It's only a matter of time when the truth will set everyone free at last.
Everyday, more and more open the tired eyes, go through the looking glass, down the rabbit hole and drop the red pill.
It's not the destination -- it's all about the journey.
We'll see you on the other side our friend.
namaste
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thrasher; I hope you’re correct and something will wake us up before it’s too late. Everywhere I go I see people staring into their hands like zombies. Down into the rabbit hole.
Peace.
Neil is a national treasure!!
What they
( Big Corporations, the 1% )
HAVE..
and we,
( the average working person)
DON"T HAVE:
IS AN ADVOCATE(S).
You need millions of dollars to lobby.
Surely, with a population of 305 million people
we could get the money.
And that my friend, is what it's going to take.
For anyone questioning the reach of tech giants aka devils try accessing the archives without a facebook or google login. Sad but true.
Archives login works fine for me with email/password (no Facebook or Google).
@ NEXUS-FavoritePlaces - we'll never have the $'s. People have the power, as Patti says.
@ Peacelover Doc - good point on NYA logins.
But looks like Babbo B. has the answer. If you can, avoid Big G & FB logins. They drop cookies and track your internet travels.
Thanks Babbo, I think I just circumvented satan & the devil.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/27/neil_young_versus_google/
I'm sure all this is true and they're making a fortune off all of us but I'm also sure that it's not the end of music. They probably said that when records were invented (who's going to go see bands play) and when radio was invented (who will buy records) and when tapes were invented (bands that I discovered by taping friend's records and the radio are bands I'm still buying on vinyl today) and when mp3's were invented and streaming and youtube etc etc etc. If anything it might get rid of a few posers that are only in it for the money and leave the true artists outstanding. Instead of complaining go buy some quality music!
@THRASHER
Is it we "won't" ? or we "can't" ?
If it's the latter..
"Can't " = " I don't want to"
"Can't " = " never did a thing"
@ Peacelover Doc - always a good strategy to circumvent.
@ Michael B. - thanks for link.
On occasion, we might rise to the bait on that sort of article. But we've addressed the counter arguments here.
Our short reply on this is that the article contains the glaring omission of alternative login methods of Evil Big Tech.
And we'll add that all of our hands are tied (or handcuffed, see image above) due to the rapidly consolidated monopoly. This centralization of the Internet is in direct conflict w/ founding principles of the original Architecture.
Without going too deep here, this core Internet Architecture Framework was designed with just such a scenario in mind. Big Tech knows its fighting gravity here and know they will ultimately fail because the Design can not be defeated.
We will prevail.
Trust us.
@ John T. - good points in the chronology.
Everyone agrees that there has never been more diversity. And there's never been more chaff and less wheat either.
Ultimately, equilibrium is always the end state ... until the entropy kicks in and starts the cycle anew.
We live in amazing times. We are blessed to have lived through so many cycles with more to come. For most, this is exhausting and bewildering. For those that can handle the ride, it doesn't get any better. We're are so joyful to be here to experience.
Let us add that if you really want to support quality music, go to the concert and buy the merch direct @ venue. That's how the greatest % of your $'s gets to the musicians.
Other wise, throw some bills in that busker hat. Tip those musicians busting their butts on the street. It gives you a really good feeling to know that you're making a difference. The smile and nod are worth it all.
@ NEXUS-FavoritePlaces - sorry, come again?
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