Neil Young Returns to "Low Res" Spotify

MY RETURN TO "Low Res" SpotifyT-C | Neil Young Archives
 

DEVELOPING

Neil Young is returning to Spotify, per today's posting on T-C | Neil Young Archives.

Young announced Spotify will resume streaming his music - “in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve” - since the other major streamers (Apple and Amazon) -- which he already allows -- offer “the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify”. 

This comes over two years after he left Spotify in protest.

Joe Rogan & Neil Young

 

Neil Young writes that he can't leave Apple and Amazon like he did with Spotify in 2022 because "my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all".

Addressing Spotify, Neil called on the service to rely on high-resolution music, just like its competitors Tidal and Quobuz.

Neil Young: "Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways.  You have the music and the listeners! Start with a limited Hi-Res tier and build from there!"

Rolling Stone

Quite a major turn of events in the saga, as evidenced by the deluge of coverage.

The COVID Years: Neil Young Asks Spotify to Remove Music Over Vaccine Disinformation, Then Retracts Letter | TW

 

As background, in January 2022, Spotify removed Neil Young’s catalog from its service after the artist published — then took down — an open letter with an ultimatum: deal with the vaccine misinformation coming from Joe Rogan’s podcast, or lose his music.

 

  "I watched the needle take another man": 

Neil Young Takes The Jab 

Thrasher's Wheat - March 23, 2021

 

In a statement on NYA in 2022, Neil wrote:

“Most of the listeners [of Joe Rogan's podcasts] hearing the unfactual, misleading and false COVID information on Spotify are 24 years old, impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth.”

Which is correct.  But this is where disCERNment comes into play.

 

The 2022 drama made headlines around the EARTH after Neil Young published a letter on his website  demanding that SPOTIFY remove all of his music due to Joe Rogan's "vaccine disinformation".  And shortly thereafter -- all hell broke loose here on this blog and elsewhere. (See here, here and here) 

The magnitude of all of this was so great that even Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunited -- although only on paper -- in their opposition to SPOTIFY.  Joni Mitchell locked arms with Neil, as well. Neil Young then wrote to SPOTIFY employees:  "Get out of that place before it eats up your soul." 

 

VIEWPOINT: Neil Young Archives(Click photo to enlarge) 

 

Neil Young Clears Up Some Things: "I was misinformed, too!" | NYA 

In a Neil Young Archives post "MY LETTER TO YOU: Folks, Clearing up some things", Neil admits that he was "misinformed too!"

  Neil Young and Joe Rogan

 

 

In February 2024, Rogan announced that his podcast would no longer only be exclusive to Spotify under a $250 million deal which makes his podcasts available on multiple platforms, including Apple, YouTube, and Amazon Music.

 

More on the latest long, strange Neil trip...

 

• Joe Rogan on the Spotify Drama: "I love Neil Young, but ..."
  60+ Comments
• The COVID Years: Neil Young Asks Spotify to Remove Music Over Vaccine Disinformation, Then Retracts Letter  90+ Comments
  
• Joni Mitchell Joins Neil Young In Removing Her Music from Spotify 40+ Comments
• Comments of the Moment: Neil Young's "The COVID Years", Joe Rogan, Spotify and Vaccine Disinformation 40+ Comments
  
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reunite ... In Opposition to SPOTIFY  40+ Comments
  
• Neil Young to SPOTIFY Employees: "Get out of that place before it eats up your soul." 35+ Comments
  
• Neil Young Clears Up Some Things: "I was misinformed, too!" | NYA 30+ Comments
• VIEWPOINTS: The Neil Young, Spotify, & Joe Rogan Controversies 25+ Comments 
• Neil Young Will NOT Play Farm Aid 2022  50+ Comments 
• Eric Clapton Says He Won't Play At Shows Where COVID-19 Vaccination Proof Is Required   55+ Comments 
• Keep Calm, No Fear, [Don't] Shut It Down, and Keep on Rockin'! #BeTheRain   15+ Comments (... this is when the "March Madness" all began, March 2020 ... let the TW record show that we tried.)

Once again, deja vu.  As we have written repeatedly here over the decades -- the only consistency with Neil Young is his inconsistency.

... or ... change your mind much?!

What Would Neil Young Do?

(see A Battle Raged on the Open Page: Can You Change Your Mind?) 

 

MORE TO COME ... 

March 14 UPDATE: Neil's article is no longer on the site. Nor has his music returned to Spotify. (thanks Wardo/ED!)

March 14 UPDATE #2: Joe Rogan reacts to announcement reversal:   “Congratulations, Neil” 

“Congratulations, Neil”

Joe Rogan and @ConceptualJames taunt Neil Young for returning to Spotify. pic.twitter.com/hOMidICBoS

— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) March 14, 2024

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