Social Media Users Ask ‘Who Is Neil Young’ After Singer Demanded His Music Be Removed From Spotify

It wasn’t probably the response that Canadian singer Neil Younger anticipated after he posted a since-deleted letter to his administration group and file label on Monday, the place he demanded that they take away his songs from the music-streaming service Spotify.

On Wednesday morning, “Who’s Neil Younger” was trending on social media, with many customers mockingly pondering who he’s, whereas others expressed fake shock that he was nonetheless alive (and presumably rocking within the free world).

Younger, who has lengthy been vocal in regards to the commercialization of music, had known as for the elimination of his songs from Spotify because the service at the moment hosts the massively widespread The Joe Rogan Expertise podcast, the place host/comic Joe Rogan has publicly questioned vaccine info.

“I’m doing this as a result of Spotify is spreading pretend details about vaccines – probably inflicting loss of life to those that imagine the disinformation being unfold by them,” Younger said within the letter. “Please act on this instantly right this moment and preserve me knowledgeable of the time schedule.

“I would like you to let Spotify know instantly TODAY that I would like all my music off their platform,” the singer continued. “They will have [Joe] Rogan or Younger. Not each.

“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted solely on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has large affect,” the letter additionally said. “Spotify has a duty to mitigate the unfold of misinformation on its platform, although the corporate presently has no misinformation coverage.”

This isn’t the primary time that Younger has had his music pulled from Spotify, Rolling Stone reported. The singer had beforehand sought to take away his track catalog as he felt the sound high quality wasn’t satisfactory, however ultimately he accepted that streaming is how the plenty are actually listening.

“That is the place folks get music,” Younger had informed Rolling Stone in 2019. “I would like folks to listen to my music it doesn’t matter what they should get via to do it. I am simply attempting to make it so that they hear much more and revel in it much more, however promote it for a similar worth as a result of music is music.”

Younger had beforehand helped to develop Pono, a conveyable digital media participant and music obtain service for high-resolution audio, but it surely failed to draw an viewers and was discontinued in 2014.

Social Media’s Response: Neil Who?

Younger could have anticipated the plenty to rally round him this week, however that actually wasn’t the response that he acquired on Twitter.

“NEIL YOUNG: I would like all my music off the Spotify till they fireplace Joe Rogan. Spotify: OK. The World: Neil Who? Oh, him. Is he nonetheless alive?,” wrote Canadian radio host Mark Towhey (@towhey).

TV presenter Emma Kenny (@emmakennytv) was much more direct, writing, “Tips on how to fall out of affection with Neil Younger…..who’s clearly affected by delusions of grandeur! @joerogan @Spotify is not going anyplace.”

“Neil Younger, who has 6,057,481 month-to-month listeners, thinks he has the affect to carry down Joe Rogan, who has 200 million folks listening month-to-month,” contemplated Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank).

Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Sourza (@DineshDSouza) tweeted, “I hear {that a} 76 yr previous singer who had his heyday within the earlier century is threatening to take his music off Spotify except they drop #JoeRogan. Is that this true? Is it some form of a joke?”

There have been nonetheless many on social media who shared their assist for Younger this week.

Salon’s Matthew Rozsa (@MatthewRozsa) posted, “I am amazed on the lack of self-awareness from Joe Rogan followers insulting Neil Younger. Younger is without doubt one of the best musicians alive. Rogan is a washed up comic who solely has a profession by interesting to different biased, delusional right-wingers determined to imagine they’re freethinkers.”

“Neil Younger. One in every of my favourite artists of all time truly standing for what’s proper,” wrote writer Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph).

Letter Deleted

At the very least just a few customers on social media additionally famous that Younger’s letter has been since deleted, and tried to clarify why which will have been.

In a considerably hostile tweet, conservative commentator Michael Cervnovich (@Cernovich) wrote, “Neil Younger deleted the letter. Because it seems, he bought many of the rights to his music. He had no proper to demand Spotify take away ‘his’ music. He’s possibly a sufferer of elder abuse. There must be a conservator appointed. Who actually wrote that letter?”

Whereas the mockery could have been slightly excessive, Cernovich was right. It was simply over a yr in the past that Younger bought 50 p.c of his publishing rights to his total track catalog to Hipganosis Songs Fund, a UK-based funding fund, in a deal price a reported $150 million. It gave Hipganosis the rights to the worldwide copyright and earnings pursuits from the 1,180 songs composed by Younger.

The funding fund has invested within the rights to songs from artists corresponding to Mark Ronson, Stylish, Barry Manilow and Blondie. Whereas the Hipganosis Track Fund has mentioned that it might not license Younger’s songs for business use, it does appear that the group might need a say on whether or not these tunes stay accessible through Spotify.

Hipganosis has not responded as to whether it might honor Younger’s calls to have his music pulled from the service.