“Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I opposed”: Neil Young is returning to Spotify after two years
Young publicly removed his music from Spotify in 2022, after refusing to share the platform with Joe Rogan, who he accused of spreading Covid misinformation.
Credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images
It’s been over two years, but Neil Young is finally coming back to Spotify – not that he seems too pleased about it.
The legendary singer-songwriter announced in January 2022 that he was removing his music from the streaming platform after he accused Joe Rogan’s podcast, which was hosted exclusively on Spotify at the time, of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
And in November the same year, he claimed that Spotify was sharing low-resolution versions of his music, saying, “Why would I keep it on there when it sounds like a pixelated movie?”
But The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify, and has been picked up by Amazon and Apple, so Young said on his website yesterday (12 March) – in a post titled “My Return to Low Res Spotify”: “Spotify, the #1 streaming of low res music in the world – Spotify, where you get less quality than we made, will now be home of my music again.”
Young added, “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I opposed at Spotify. I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did with Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all.”
He urged Spotify to release high-resolution versions of his music, or start a high-res subscription tier, comparing the platform to Qobuz and Tidal, where “my music is presented, and are all high res as well.”
At the time of writing, his music hasn’t returned to Spotify, but it’s expected to be back on there soon. Young has a new album coming up, too, with his band Crazy Horse. Fu##in’ Up is set to arrive for Record Store Day on 20 April, before being released in all formats on the 26th. It’ll feature a range of songs from the band’s career, recorded again for 2024.