Neil Young has taken a stand against the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation being disseminated on Spotify via “The Joe Rogan Experience”, pulling all his music off the music-streaming service in protest.
With fellow musicians Joni Mitchell and E Street Band member Nils Lofgren following suit by removing their music from Spotify as well, Young is offering his fans another way they can hear his music.
On Friday, Young shared an update on his website, urging fans to head over to Amazon Music instead, sharing a link and noting that all new subscribers receive the first four months for free.
READ MORE: Joni Mitchell Stands In ‘Solidarity’ With Neil Young And Removes Music From Spotify
“Amazon has been leading the pack in bringing Hi-Res audio to the masses, and it’s a great place to enjoy my entire catalog in the highest quality available,” he added.
Young delivered Spotify with an ultimatum, demanding they ditch Rogan — which streams exclusively on Spotify after a $100-million deal last year — or he’d remove his music. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” he continued. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”
READ MORE: Neil Young Won’t Return To Touring Until COVID Is ‘Beat’
On Friday, Young issued another statement after his music had been removed from the streaming service.
“When I left Spotify, I felt better,” he wrote. “Amazon, Apple Music and Qobuz deliver up to 100% of the music today and it sounds a lot better than the s**tty degraded and neutered sound of Spotify. If you support Spotify, you are destroying an art form. Business over art. Spotify plays artist’s music at 5% of its quality and charges you like it was the real thing.”
