behind neil young spotify fraught relationship

In the spring of 2021, we recorded an interview with artist, technologist, and Interdependence host Mat Dryhurst about a then-little-known technology called NFTs, short for non-fungible tokens.

For the full version of every episode, including this one - plus essays, monthly culture recommendations, and more - sign up for a paid subscription.Today’s episode marks something of a full circle moment for this podcast. Young said that 60 percent of his streaming income comes from Spotify.Welcome to the Culture Journalist, a podcast about culture (and counterculture) in the age of platforms. He was protesting the companys support of Joe Rogan, its star podcaster, who has been criticized for promoting misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines.Įven in an era when tech companies like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are constantly policing content about Covid-19 on their platforms and facing blowback from both sides of the free-speech debate for doing so it was a rare instance of a top musician taking a stance that would affect his bottom line. Last week, Neil Young kicked off a storm in the music business and on social media when he demanded that his music including rock classics like Heart of Gold and Cinnamon Girl be removed from Spotify. It may have also set the company on a collision course with artists, and left listeners with a less-than-complete library of songs. The move made the service a smorgasbord of audio entertainment part music service, part news outlet, part always-on gabfest. But a few years ago it pivoted to add a buzzy format to its portfolio: podcasts. Spotify remains the biggest music streaming service.

Behind neil young spotify fraught relationship