We are all aware of Neil Young’s recent move to remove his songs from Spotify as long as the vendor of deadly disinformation, Joe Rogan, continues to be hosted on the platform. Young appears to have started a trend, as Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen and Nils Lofgren, David Crosby and others are following suit. It’s a trickier maneuver than one might think since the rights to their catalogs of songs are usually owned by others now. Young thanked Warner Bros. and Reprise for honoring his want to pull from the platform.
They will all take a financial hit in no small way. Neil Young will take a considerable loss of 60% of his streaming income. Though none of us need worry that any of these artists (there will be more, I have no doubt) will be unable to scrape by, they will take a substantial loss to streaming income tallies.
How can we not respect such stands for fact and the common good?
I am not a “fan” of any particular artist, though I am fond of many of the iconic songs of any artist I’ve named here. Now, they have my admiration and support for such a stand in these truculent times; it heartens many. So, I have chosen to “subscribe” to Neil Young’s online site (about 20 bucks) which will allow me direct access to his tunes and much else. I can support him for supporting all of us and that works for me. If you’d like to do the same: click here.
We will all have to take stands against the tsunami of lies in the deadly fascist push. This is one small thing I can do. Small things often become formidable when exercised by many.