Rock legend Neil Young is urging musicians to ditch Spotify Technology SA, and is urging Spotify employees to find new jobs.
In a blog post Monday, Young — who recently pulled his music from Spotify over concerns that popular podcaster Joe Rogan spreads COVID misinformation — amped up his attack against the streaming-music service.
“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,” Young wrote.
““Get out of that place before it eats up your soul.””
“To the workers at Spotify, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem — not Joe Rogan,” he continued. “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.”
On Sunday, Ek sent a memo to employees saying Spotify will not cut ties with Rogan — who it signed for a $100 million exclusive deal in 2020 — saying “canceling voices is a slippery slope.” On Saturday, Rogan apologized for repeated use of a racial slur after a compilation video showed him using the slur in podcasts over a 12-year period.
In his blog post, Young also urged baby boomers to use their financial leverage to help fight climate change by withdrawing their money from major banks “for their continued funding of the fossil fuel damage even as the global temperature keeps climbing,” specifically citing Chase
JPM,
Citi
C,
Bank of America
BAC,
and Wells Fargo
WFC,
“Your grandchildren will thank you in history,” he wrote.
Spotify shares
SPOT,
fell again Monday, continuing their extended slump. The stock is down 12% over the past week, off 27% year to date, and has fallen 47% over the past 12 months.
