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Staying away from the tribalism this seems to be devolving into, I think this is quite telling. Neil Young’s music is some of the most important of the last cen
by basisword 5y ago
Staying away from the tribalism this seems to be devolving into, I think this is quite telling. Neil Young’s music is some of the most important of the last century. He might not be getting K-Pop levels of streams but his music is incredibly important regardless. Spotify has chosen a podcast over this (for obvious financial reasons). This tells you a lot about the importance Spotify puts on music (in case it wasn’t already obvious with how aggressively they shove podcasts in your face). If you care about music, it might be time to move elsewhere.
- johanneskanybal 5y agoIt's a platform the idea that I would request you not being allowed on the internet because we have different opinions is ludicrous even if in this case rogan isn't my cup of tea.
- edmcnulty101 5y agoDisagree. I think Neil Young's music is vague ambiguous pretty lacking in substance and borderline unlistenable. Dana Carvey does a great bit about 'Every Neil Young song you've ever heard' https://youtu.be/mPpgB3OA5mM https://youtu.be/mPpgB3OA5mM
- basisword 5y agoYou may not like his music but it’s undeniable how important it is in terms of records sold, influence, awards, etc.
- edmcnulty101 5y agoSort of. I know Taylor Swift has more album sales and Grammys. As for influence, why do people care what a daily pot smoking artist, who was reportedly expelled from college, thinks about politics anyway? Why do people care what any artist thinks about politics?
- samsa 5y agoWhy do people care what anyone thinks about politics? Being a famous rock and roller does not exempt one from having a political opinion worthy of consideration or debate. It shouldn't give more credence to one's opinion, but it shouldn't take away from it either.
- edmcnulty101 5y agoTrue. Good point. They are all opinions unless you're specifically trained and are an expert in the subject. Yet people give outsize weight to a pothead college dropout artist for some reason.
- mastercheif 5y ago> Sort of. I know Taylor Swift has more album sales and Grammys. What is your point here?
- edmcnulty101 5y agoHis accomplishments and influence are dwarfed by Taylor Swift. Yet he's trying to bully Spotify and Joe Rogan?
- basisword 5y agoHe believes that spreading misinformation on vaccines is bad...how is that in any way 'politics'??
- edmcnulty101 5y agoTwo doctors and leaders in their field are being demonized by one political group. This is 100% political.
- heurisko 5y agoI like Neil Young's music, probably for the same reasons you don't. I don't agree with his ultimatum to Spotify, but fair enough if he feels that way. This is also quite a funny video, with Jimmy Fallon covering Neil Young, with Neil Young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycKvOwKJZw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycKvOwKJZw
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- deaddodo 5y ago> Dana Carvey does a great bit about 'Every Neil Young song you've ever heard' Sure, if every Neil Young song you’ve ever heard are his two most popular ones.
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- mythrwy 5y agoWhiny nasal political drivel accompanied by a strumming guitar.
- johnmorrison 5y agoDisagree. Spotify clearly cares about music - hence the entire history of the company & product. When one creator on a platform threatens an ultimatum to remove themselves or another creator, that is a rude and aggressive unprovoked attack. Even if Young had 10x the financial value to Spotify as JRE, I believe they still would've made the same decision: "Do not negotiate with terrorists." The decisionmaker for who gets to be on Spotify is Spotify. Not Neil Young, not Joe Rogan, not Drake, not Ed Sheeran, not anybody.
- basisword 5y agoThere clearly could have been an attempt at compromise. Spotify have removed/not stocked Rogan content before. Spotify will have rules for the content it serves and there could have been a discussion on the robustness of these.
- johnmorrison 5y agoI don't see a reasonable compromise to make here, here's why: There is nothing wrong with what Rogan has been criticized by Young for; other than many people including Young being ideologically possessed in the opposite direction. Disagreement is not grounds for censorship. In any case, it was Young who issued an ultimatum. His music or Joe's podcast, off the platform. There is no room for a compromise there - this is a rude and violent threat.
- plufz 5y agoWhat Young is doing is not "violent" nor "terrorism". I think you know what those words really mean.
- matheusmoreira 5y agoNot all violence is physical. Violence is what you use to force people to change their behavior. There are many forms. Verbal, psychological, social, economic. I agree with you that it's not terrorism, however.
- walkhour 5y ago> Spotify has chosen a podcast over this Spotify simply hasn't given in to blackmail. If Joe Rogan said he'd leave Spotify if they don't kick Neil Young out and then Neil Young was kicked out they would've chosen a podcast over Neil Young.
- smorgusofborg 5y agoMusic is their international product. Choosing to support and subsidize talk radio from a position you could only get to with music is not a new plan. If I were a musician I would pull my work before everyone in talk radio wants equal time for their slime.
- rmbyrro 5y agoSpotify didn't choose anything, Neil Young chose to "do justice with his own hands" and punish his listeners. Why didn't he use the 60% lost revenue to fight in Justice to get the misinformation out? Or fund creation of better content for Spotify and else?
- cloutchaser 5y agoWell, they sort of did choose though. I imagine Joe Rogan gets more listener hours than Neil Young does. It is also showing your values for the future if you remove Joe Rogan, whereas Neil Young is basically blackmailing them, in a pretty hysterical way. I think on both issues Spotify wins. Financially they probably do, and they get to show they don't bow to hysterical artists. That's a good thing in the long run.
- smorgusofborg 5y agoSpotify committed to a deal they would have estimated around $1 per year per premium member on exclusive rights to JRE. Neil Young may want to influence their choices in how they mediate social/political discourse that doesn't change the discussion musicians should be having about whether they are the equivalent of films on Netflix. Sidelined for original/exclusive content that inherently has to have a social/political mediation run by Spotify.
- suslik 5y agoTheir choice was not between Neil Young and Joe Rogan, but between enabling the freedom of expression or backing down in the face of an outward pressure. If anything, it makes Spotify as a platform more credible.
- steeve 5y agoHonest question: is blatant disinformation freedom of expression?
- piaste 5y agoYes, without a doubt. Freedom of speech includes the freedom of wrong speech. In fact, it's wrong speech that most needs protection.
- givinguflac 5y agoI strongly disagree, this is equivalent to yelling fire in my opinion.
- peteradio 5y agoYelling fire : Young adults are dying in droves from Covid
- prometheus76 5y agoThe problem with this framing is who decides what is "misinformation"? And is that party incorruptible? Why not let people speak and let the audience decide for themselves. Because they may not decide what you decide?
- piaste 5y agoFun fact: the 'fire in a crowded theater' example was originally used as an analogy to justify censoring pacifist opposition to the First World War and the military draft. This doesn't make the example invalid, mind you. But I consider it a warning to be extremely careful and skeptical when equating 'dangerous' speech to immediate physical damage.
- RickJWagner 5y agoNah. Music is about rebellion, often. Young's music was, at the time it was made. Joe Rogan is also about rebellion. Young just doesn't like his flavor of it, so he's throwing a temper tantrum. Sad, really.
- mythrwy 5y ago"Old man take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you were"
- RickJWagner 5y agoPerfect.
- BobbyJo 5y agoIs it wrong for Spotify to care more about their customers than their creators? I certainly don't think so.
- honkdaddy 5y agoI'm a Canadian and a Neil Young fan, but to call it some of the most important of the last century is a massive stretch. He's a folk-rock singer songwriter with a gravely voice - he isn't close to the most remarkable artist in his own genre, let alone the entire century.
- cataphract 5y agoI think that if Spotify complied with this request, it would set up a dangerous precedent. Next there could be calls left and right to remove all kinds of "objectionable" content (think: that hip hop artist "glorifies violence" — as Twitter puts it — or is sexist/misogynistic).