Neil Young has (unenthusiastically) announced that his songs will once again be available to stream on “low res” Spotify, two years after his catalog was removed from the platform in protest of their exclusive deal with Joe Rogan.
The announcement came via a post on Young’s Neil Young Archives website, which states: “Spotify, the #1 streamer of low res music in the world — Spotify, where you get less quality than we made, will now be home of my music again.” Continuing, the songwriting legend explained that his decision to return was because “music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify.”
While Young saw his exodus from Spotify — which inspired Joni Mitchell and others to follow suit — as a manageable sacrifice, he now says that if he were to leave Apple and Amazon as well, then his music “would have very little streaming outlet,” thus, he has “returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve.”
In the latter part of his impressively disparaging letter — which, ironically, kinda reads like a classic Trump tweet — Young welcomed “all you millions of Spotify users” to his catalog, which will “now all be there for you except for the full sound we created.”
Concluding, Young offered Spotify somewhat genuine, somewhat passive aggressive advice, writing: “Hopefully, Spotify will turn to Hi Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and the listeners!!!! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!”
Young’s music was removed from Spotify in January 2022 by his request, in opposition to the platform’s exclusive deal with Rogan’s podcast, Joe Rogan Experience. At the time, the “Harvest Moon” singer cited disgust with Rogan’s promulgation of false COVID information.
Meanwhile, last month Young and Crazy Horse announced a new album, FU##IN’ UP, due this April. That month, the group will embark on a North American tour. Check out the full list of their upcoming dates, and grab tickets here.