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Neil Young urges Spotify employees to quit "before it eats up your soul"

Farm Aid 2018
Neil Young @ Farm Aid 2018 (photo by Eric Townsend)

Neil Young is not backing down about his decision to leave Spotify. He’s not only urging other artists to leave, and for music fans to use a different streaming service, he’s now urging Spotify employees to quit, too.

“To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem – not Joe Rogan. Ek pulls the strings,” Young writes on his latest missive on his Archives site. “Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers – not art, not creativity.”

Earlier in his post he urges people to “ditch the misinformers,” and also wants his fellow Baby Boomers to lead the way. He’s not just talking about Spotify, either. He urges fans to “ditch the companies contributing to the mass fossil fuel destruction of Earth” and names American banks including Chase, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. “Join me as I move my money away from the damage causers or you will unintentionally be one of them.”

You can read Neil Young’s full note below.

Back to Spotify, CEO Daniel Ek shared a message with his employees saying the company had no plans of dropping Joe Rogan in the wake of the the controversies around his podcast which include Covid misinformation and his Hollywood Reporter: “While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek wrote. “And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer…We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.”

More than 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience were pulled from Spotify and Rogan apologized for his past use of the n-word on the show.

I SAY

In our communication age, misinformation is the problem. 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. You and I need to lead.

In our age of Climate Chaos, I say ditch the companies contributing to the mass fossil fuel destruction of Earth.

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. You have the power to change the world. We can do it together. Your grandchildren will thank you in history.

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.

To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem – not Joe Rogan. 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. Look, one last time – at the statements EK has made.

Then be free and take the good paths.