Taking down Joe Rogan
Music is a majestic sandcastle. It is glorious in its ability to touch, comfort, and enthrall its listeners. I went to many a concert in my day. I still have many of my ticket stubs, some going back decades. Of course, there are those performers I never did get to see. One of them is Neil Young.
Young is and has been a significant influence on both music and politics. One cannot forget his extraordinary song “Ohio” about the students tragically shot at Kent State. He is a fantastic performer and person.
You may have heard about the battle between Spotify and Young. Young was increasingly upset by the Covid misinformation coming from Joe Rogan’s podcast. Rogan has courted controversy for a long time now. Yet he has a lot of listeners, just like Terrible Tucker has viewers.
In his letter, Young gave Spotify an ultimatum –remove Rogan’s podcast or say goodbye to Neil Young — or at least his music. “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” Well, Spotify picked alright. They chose Rogan.
This in itself shouldn’t be that surprising. Mr. Rogan reportedly has a deal worth more than $100 million dollars. That’s a lot of bread. But the decision can always be reversed — if enough people speak out about it. We all know music has the ability to create waves — waves of activism.
It is my hope that people will speak out about this, perhaps writing to or emailing Spotify to voice their displeasure. Perhaps people can cancel their Spotify membership. And maybe other musicians can be asked to follow in Young’s footsteps.
This all comes down to money — and corporate greed. Is there really anything else that matters to companies such as Spotify?
So why not jump on the bandwagon and show support to Mr. Young? Let Spotify know of your displeasure. Urge the bands you like to follow in Young’s footsteps. Tell them to stand up to corporate greed, and let’s keep Neil Young rocking in the free world.
