David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills ask to pull their content from Spotify

[Trueblue1968]

David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills ask to pull their content from Spotify

Three more prominent musicians are following Neil Young's lead in asking to have their work removed from the streaming giant Spotify: Young's former bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. They are doing so in protest of popular Spotify podcast host Joe Rogan, who they say has been spreading coronavirus misinformation.

In a written statement sent to NPR on Wednesday afternoon, the musicians said: "David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills have requested that their labels remove their collective recordings from Spotify. In solidarity with their bandmate, Neil Young, and in support of stopping harmful misinformation about COVID, they have decided to remove their records from the streaming platform including the recordings of CSNY, CSN, and CN, as well as Crosby's and Stills' solo projects. Nash has already begun the process to take down his solo recordings."

The statement continued: "We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify's Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don't want our music — or the music we made together — to be on the same platform."

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/02/1077653424/crosby-stills-nash-young-spotify?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=business&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20220202

[hamsterjill]

1. The old hippies are still fighting the good fight!

Good for them!

I’m not familiar with what’s on Spotify as I don’t use it. But where are the younger artists in all of this? Any of them pulling their music, or are they not on there to begin with?

[luv2fly]

7. Here's the list I found so far

Joni Mitchell.
Nils Lofgren.
Brené Brown.
India Arie.
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
Roxane Gay.
Mary Trump

None are particularly young, but I'm guessing this will just continue to grow, and that's a good thing.

[hamsterjill]

10. Thanks much!

We need more!!! Maybe it will snowball.

[rockfordfile]

23. More artists should.

[Trueblue1968]

34. i wish Barbra -- Cher, Adele & Kelly Clarkson would too.

[Trueblue1968]

24. I LOVE THEM ALL

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Here is a list of those who pulled content so far including some who had regular podcasts there too

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-01-30/spotify-joe-rogan-covid-neil-young-list-of-artists

There is one "younger" 4-time Grammy-winning artist - India Arie (a/k/a "india.arie" ) who has pulled her music - https://www.nme.com/news/music/indie-arie-leaves-spotify-over-joe-rogans-language-around-race-3151385

I am thinking some of the younger performers might not be as knowledgeable about the technicalities of where and how their music is distributed like the older bands, including how the licensing thing works. I expect more to come as they consult their managers, etc.

I don't use Spotify - I have a sub to SiriusXM that also has a streaming app so wouldn't need that (and SiriusXM recently purchased what was one of the earliest subscription services (before Spotify) - Pandora, although I don't use that either. I so have a "lifetime subscription" for TuneIn that I got years ago, where that level eventually became what I think is now called the "Pro" tier, and has still been honored for me since (but the price has gone up significantly since I first got it). TuneIn has podcasts as well as local, national, international radio stations (where they have agreements) and other content similar to Spotify.

Some odds and ends info that compares/contrasts Spotify and Pandora - https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/121614/how-pandora-and-spotify-pay-artists.asp

[hamsterjill]

11. Thanks for the info!

I am a Sirius/XM subscriber, too.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. I did see where Neil Young got a dedicated channel reactivated there now, I guess "permanently"

because I remember it was offered during the holidays for a "limited run" to feature his latest music, and right after he pulled out from Spotify, SiriusXM jumped right in and resurrected that channel.

[hamsterjill]

14. I heard that.

I think Phlash Phelps mentioned it. I may renewe my subscription!!!

[BumRushDaShow]

19. I saw it here

https://deadline.com/2022/01/neil-young-siriusxm-spotify-joe-rogan-1234920937/

Looks like they are starting it on one lower-number channel first and then will switch to a streaming channel (in the hundreds), and I guess will see how that goes. They may end up having to negotiate how to work it with the various subscription tiers after that.

[Act_of_Reparation]

15. It's complicated.

Record sales aren't a thing anymore. Younger artists rely on streaming as their primary means of distribution, and Spotify is by far the largest streaming service. It's great these older artists are taking a stand by pulling their music, but people should understand they are much better positioned to do so, having already reaped the rewards of decades' worth of album sales.

Also, distribution is typically handled by record labels, which are no more ethical in their business practices than Spotify. Most younger artists aren't going to have the clout to browbeat their labels into pulling their music from Spotify.

[hamsterjill]

16. And these older artists didn't face issues

When they stood up against the Viet Nam war?

Oh. I get it. “This is different”????

Nope. Sorry. Not letting the young ones off the hook.

[Act_of_Reparation]

18. And what issues were those, exactly?

I should also hasten to point out six artists pulling their music from Spotify doesn't make a trend. There are literally thousands of Boomer artists still up there, many of whom dealt with those "issues" of the Vietnam war seemingly without major career setbacks.

[hamsterjill]

21. Guess you didn't see the backlash against the Dixie Chicks?

The artists who came out against the Viet Nam War faced similar situations, but probably worse.

Sorry, but I just feel that the younger ones need to rise up and show some spine. And yes, I’d love to see some more older ones pull their catalogs, too.

If you disagree, that’s okay. You won’t change my mind. Have a nice day and stay warm.

[Act_of_Reparation]

26. The Dixie Chicks took a stand against the Vietnam War, did they?

They have not pulled their music from Spotify, though. So maybe it isn't as easy as you're making it out to be.

If you disagree, that’s okay. You won’t change my mind. Have a nice day and stay warm.

I don't "disagree". You're just wrong. Artists generally don't have exclusive rights to their music. In most cases, those rights are held by the labels, and the labels get to decide where the music is streamed.

Here's a 66-year-old explaining why her music is still on Spotify: https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/02/entertainment/spotify-rosanne-cash-remove-music-crosby-stills-cec/index.html

[hamsterjill]

28. Google Dixie Chicks.

Have a great day.

[Act_of_Reparation]

30. Google how to stop digging a hole.

[hamsterjill]

31. Google how to be an ass.

Oh, never mind. You already figured that one out.

I don’t believe I’m wrong and I am not going to ever change my mind about something based on some ill-equipped post on a message board.

End of discussion.

[Act_of_Reparation]

32. I don't care what you believe.

You're wrong. Objectively, measurably wrong.

Let's break it down:

You called young artists cowards for not pulling their music from Spotify. When presented with information that young artists don't have the clout to browbeat their labels into pulling distribution, you said they were still cowards because bands in the 60's protested the Vietnam War, damn the consequences. When asked for an example of what those consequences were, you cited the Dixie Chicks, who neither protested the Vietnam War nor halted distribution of their music as a means of protest. They spoke out as private citizens and suffered backlash from their audience and their distributors.

So, what's your standard for bravery? If it is pulling your music off the market in protest, the Dixie Chicks don't meet that standard. And it is scarcely a mystery why, as many people have already pointed out distribution is handled by record labels, and most artists don't have the clout to pressure them into pulling distribution from the biggest fucking market in the country. For crying out loud, the article I just cited features Roseanne Cash imploring Neil Young to share how he managed to convince his label to drop him from Spotify.

Or is your standard simply speaking out amid real risk of backlash? Because if that's the case, there's tons of young artists who have done precisely fucking that.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Actually record sales have made an odd comeback thanks to those younger generations

This article has a good summary and some of the pros can cons. If anything, "what's old becomes new again" - https://thehustle.co/the-insane-resurgence-of-vinyl-records/



I wouldn't be surprised if 3-D printing gets included somewhere into the manufacturing process, negating the need for a "press".

[Act_of_Reparation]

27. Vinyl is a niche market.

People bought 17 million vinyl records last year. Spotify has 172 million people paying for their service every month. It's not even comparable.

[BumRushDaShow]

29. It's niche (always has been once CDs came out) but growing

which was what was unexpected. It's also growing in a generational fashion as well. I.e., you are seeing the millennials settling down now and looking for tangible. And many of the newer artists are spurring it by creating/maintaining "concept albums" in the vinyl format.

And remember - Spotify is NOT a U.S. company. It is Swedish so that "172 million" is worldwide, which in that perspective, is a tiny drop in the bucket for a world population of almost 8 billion. Current paying U.S. subscribers are around 45 million on Spotify -



https://www.forbes.com/sites/eamonnforde/2021/10/13/spotify-to-pass-100-million-users-in-the-us-by-2025-while-pandora-continues-to-slide/?sh=295664e66d85

As the pricing continues to increase, you end up with some people eventually dropping it (everyone saw that happen with Netflix when they came on the scene and got established at a reasonable, but unsustainable price point, and were eventually forced to up the prices) ... and they start looking for lower priced options (and certainly having some fave artists albums - particularly if there are collections - becomes a viable option).

[tavernier]

3. Thanks. Great song line.

Never used better.

[Loki Liesmith]

4. Whatevs

Points been made.

[elias7]

6. Really? Kind of like why a 1/6 commission, point's been made? Whatevs!!!

[Skittles]

25. WTF

the point is, STOP SUPPORTING PLATFORMS THAT ENABLE PEOPLE WHO SPREAD LIES THAT AFFECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH

[elias7]

5. Does Spotify really need Rogan's money enough to sell their soul?

Oh, that’s right, they don’t have a soul, they’re follow the American business model.

Listen to these people. Neil young and Joni Mitchell et al are people of honesty and integrity and people in the Spotify corporate structure should heed their lyrics.

[dwayneb]

9. Any dollar fluttering in the breeze

That's the American business model. Any dollar is a good dollar no matter how much blood is dripping from it.

I dumped Spotify couple of years ago. Simply because their interface sucked.

[gratuitous]

17. I still put the CSN CD on the player and listen to it from time to time

That album came out 35 years ago, and I'd bet there are people who still download some of the songs from that album ("Just A Song Before I Go" is one) and pay money to do so. Does anyone seriously think that Joe "Stinkbutt" Rogan's podcasts will still be generating revenue in 2057?

This looks more and more like a very bad business decision by Spotify.

[Dirty Socialist]

13. "Crosby, Stills and Nash should shut up and just play music"

Sincerely,

Ted Nugent, Frankie Valli, Kid Rock, and Gene Simmons

[ripcord]

22. Artists are taking a stand

[ificandream]

33. So Crosby, Stills and Nash reunite for Neil ....

... how about that....