Neil Young Warns Spotify Employees To Quit Before It 'Eats Up Your Soul'
By Kristin Myers on February 8, 2022 at 12:45 PM EST
Artist Neil Young is doubling down on his opposition to Spotify.
Last month, Young took issue with the way Joe Rogan spouted misinformation on his Spotify podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan’s podcast is the most popular podcast in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Young offered Spotify an ultimatum: me or Joe Rogan. Spotify chose Joe Rogan and informed Young and his followers that they were in the process of removing the “Heart of Gold” singer’s music from the streaming service. Many have joined Young in leaving Spotify, including JoniMitchell and Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Young is now not only encouraging users to drop Spotify, but he’s also encouraging employees to quit their job!
Neil Young Encourages Followers To Take A Stand: ‘Your Grandchildren Will Thank You In History’
On Monday, Young issued a statement to his website to encourage employees to quit.
“In our communication age, disinformation is the problem,” he began. “Ditch the misinformers. Find a good clean place to support with your monthly checks. You have the real power. Use it.”
“To the baby boomers, I say 70 percent of the country’s financial assets are in your hands compared with just about 5 percent for millennials,” he added in bold-face type. “You and I need to lead.”
“In our age of Climate Chaos, I say ditch the company contributing to the mass fossil fuel destruction of Earth,” he went on. “For their continued funding of the fossil fuel damage even as the global temperature keeps climbing, I say take your money from the accounts of these American banks today: Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Wells Fargo.”
“Join me as I move my money away from the damage causers or you will unintentionally be one of them,” he warned. “You have the power to change the world. We can do it together. Your grandchildren will thank you in history.”
After that cautionary message, Neil Young then decided to address the Spotify controversy directly.
Neil Young Has A Special Message To Spotify: ‘Daniel Ek Is Your Big Problem’
“To the musicians and creators in the world, I say this: You must be able to find a better place than SPOTIFY to be the home of your art,” he continued.
“To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem – not Joe Rogan,” he went on. “Ek pulls the strings. Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers – not art, not creativity.”
“Notice that Ek never mentions the Medical Professionals who started this conversation,” he added in italics. “Look, one last time – at the statements Ek has made.”
However, he does not include any statements in his article. Instead, he closes with “Then be free and take the good path.”
Although Daniel Ek has made many statements ever since the Joe Rogan controversy started gaining attention, it might be the recent statements that Daniel Ek made to Spotify employees that Young has a problem with.
Daniel Ek Apologizes To Employees For Ongoing Spotify Controversy
As The Blast previously reported, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek “strongly” condemned Joe Rogan using a racial slur on his podcast and removed over 100 offensive episodes. However, he also made it clear that Joe Rogan was not going anywhere.
“I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek wrote. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
In a letter to staff members, Ek said that he would try to right some of the harm done by making an “incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups” to boost “all types of creators.”
He “also apologized to Spotify staff members.
There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you,” he wrote. “Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful – I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.”
“I know it is difficult to have these conversations play out so publicly, and I continue to encourage you to reach out to your leaders, your HR partners or me directly if you need support or resources for yourself or your team,” he added.
