I can do without Cinnamon Girl and Heart of Gold. “I hope Neil Young will remember: A southern man don’t need him around anyhow.”
Update: Spotify made the right choice and removed Neil Young’s songs.
18 thoughts on “Never liked Neil Young much anyway. Stick with Rogan, Spotify.”
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I like him somewhat. When he joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash, he gave their sweet vocal harmonies a little edge. “Southern Man” is actually a pretty good song. I am not very much concerned with the lyrical content. But there was screaming. And there were bull whips cracking. And there are still Americans who disgustingly romanticize the Confederacy. Maybe they could profit from listening to that song. I can’t say much about Rogan, but he does seem to be a rogue.
True story: my father used to bowl with Neil Young. Small world, or at least western Ontario was a small world at the time.
What happened to the days when it was a market place of ideas….where all voices could be heard despite disagreement. Now, it seems, if you’re not on “my” side then you’re the enemy and are to be disposed of. Interestingly, this attitude seems prevalent on all sides.
In this case, I don’t think Spotify has to make a choice. At least not immediately. If they haven’t done so already, it might be wise for them to meet with all parties to see if some type of agreement came be reached. Yet, if it is not possible…at the very least they should give notification that some opinions expressed on Rogan’s platform doesn’t comport with guidance of some healthcare professionals. In that way the audience is aware there are differing views and abiding by some of the opinions expressed on Rogan’s platform may put some at risk.
Ehhh.. you don’t negotiate with a terrorist.
Exactly
Well, I wouldn’t consider it negotiating with a terrorist. I’d think it’s reasonable to see if there’s a way all parties can come to an agreement. If not, then let the chips fall where they may.
Should they put a notification on Neil Young’s songs?
Yes, if they could potentially put people’s health at risk.
Spotify’s CEO announced updates to the platform’s policies, including the addition of content advisories for podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19.
As well, Rogan responded by saying,“one of the things Spotify wants to do, that I agree with, is at the beginning of these controversial podcasts, specially about Covid, is to put a disclaimer and say that you should speak with your physician and that these people and the opinions they express are contrary to the opinions of the consensus of experts, which I think is very important. Sure, have that on there. I’m very happy with that.”
Kudos to both Spotify and Rogan for responding in a reasonable manner that is potentially beneficial to their audience.
https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-ceo-content-advisory-joe-rogan-podcasts-discussing-covid-2022-1
If Spotify does feel they need to make a choice, it’s an incredibly easy one. Rogan brings them far more revenue than Young, in 2022.
Yes. This is just virtue signaling by Neil Young.
If this is virtue signaling, I suppose the same would apply to those that swore off Nike for having Colin Kaepernick as a spokesperson. As well, those who threatened to “cancel” Netflix for agreeing to a content deal with Michelle and Barack Obama.
It’s not exactly the same thing. If all the people who thought that Nike’s Kaepernick campaign was ridiculous swore off Nike, it would probably affect Nike. If all the people who thought that Netflix shouldn’t have done a deal with the Obamas canceled Netflix permanently it would probably affect Netflix, though probably not very much because I don’t think the percentage of people who actually think that because they don’t like the Obamas, no one should do business with them, is that high.
If all the Neil Youngs who object to Joe Rogan’s guests pull their music from Spotify, you get one Neil Young pulling his music from Spotify, and Spotify not caring.
I’m not saying I support any of these moves, but something that cannot possibly be effective in creating change is more of a virtue signal than something that could at least in theory have some effect.
It is exactly the same thing. #deletespotify
QUOTE: If all the people who thought that Nike’s Kaepernick campaign was ridiculous swore off Nike, it would probably affect Nike. If all the people who thought that Netflix shouldn’t have done a deal with the Obamas canceled Netflix permanently it would probably affect Netflix…
How do you know and validate the size of this group of “thought” police?
Nevertheless, in each case (Young, Nike, Netflix) there was an offense taken due to the action of an organization and the offended publicly threatened the organization because of it. So, if Young’s actions are considered virtual signaling, then the same applies to the others given it was same basic behavior.
QUOTE: I’m not saying I support any of these moves, but something that cannot possibly be effective in creating change is more of a virtue signal than something that could at least in theory have some effect.
Below are several definitions of virtue signaling. None of them reference any dependency on or connection to the ability to create change, even by the one credited with coining the phrase.
James Bartholemew:I coined the phrase in an article here in The Spectator (18 April) in which I described the way in which many people say or write things to indicate that they are virtuous.
Oxford:the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue.
Dictionary.com:the sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order to garner praise or acknowledgment of one’s righteousness from others who share that point of view, or to passively rebuke those who do not.
Cambridgean attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media
Lastly, those offended by Nike didn’t create change even with the support of the former President of the United States. In fact, Nike grew as a result. Makes one wonder if there was ever a possibility of being effective in creating change with these people.
One could also plausibly argue that joining with others in a protest, such as boycotting Nike, is more likely an instance of virtue signaling than asserting an ultimatum without the support of a mob as Neil Young did. Of course we can’t get into people’s heads and know what their motives are, especially with such little information about them as persons. But the Crowhillian brand of so-called conservatism seems to involve a default accusation of virtue signaling when protests arise from liberals, but not so when they arise from conservatives.
Objecting to Young as a virtual signaler is itself virtue signaling.
QUOTE: One could also plausibly argue that joining with others in a protest, such as boycotting Nike, is more likely an instance of virtue signaling than asserting an ultimatum without the support of a mob as Neil Young did.
Sure one can assert that or anything. Yet, is it accurate.
First, according to some reports, Spotify lost $4 billion in market value since Young threaten to leave. As of Friday, Jan. 28, shares of Spotify were down about 12% from where they closed last week, according to data from Nasdaq. According to Motley Fool, “Numerous pundits, politicians, and fellow musicians have sided with Young and called for Rogan to be taken off the air. Spotify has so far ignored their demands, but the controversy seems to be weighing on its shares. As well, hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify also gained traction on social media, with some websites offering step-by-step instructions for users to remove the app from their devices. Who knows how large it will grow or if it will be sustained, but it’s clear that Young is not standing alone whistling in the wind on this one.
Second, James Bartholomew, author of the phrase virtue signaling, said he created the term to describe those he felt, projected their values publicly rather than putting them into practice. Seems Young has done more than spout off online. He actually has some skin in this game. He had more than 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify and now that he’s off, he stands to lose 60% of his worldwide streaming income from the decision. I can’t say I agreed with Young’s position, but he seems to have put his money where his mouth is…which typically doesn’t happen with those who simply spout off in an attempt to look good…ala virtue signaling.