Neil Young Removing Music from Streaming Services

BY Josiah HughesPublished Jul 15, 2015

The Simpsons-themed "old man yells at cloud" meme gets thrown around a lot these days, but it's never been more applicable than now. "Old Man" singer Neil Young is quite literally yelling at the cloud in a new rant against music streaming.

Posting a photo of some music-themed clipart, Young took to Facebook, where he posited that AM radio is somehow better than streaming. He added that "Streaming is the worst audio in history," explaining that "my music is being removed from all streaming services. It's not good enough to sell or rent."

Read Neil Young's full streaming rant below:


I was there.
AM radio kicked streaming's ass.
Analog Cassettes and 8 tracks also kicked streaming's ass,
and absolutely rocked compared to streaming.

Streaming sucks. Streaming is the worst audio in history.
If you want it, you got it. It's here to stay.
Your choice.

Copy my songs if you want to. That's free.
Your choice.
All my music, my life's work, is what I am preserving the way I want it to be.
It's already started. My music is being removed from all streaming services. It's not good enough to sell or rent.
Make streaming sound good and I will be back.

Neil Young


In another post, he wrote:

Streaming has ended for me. I hope this is ok for my fans.

It's not because of the money, although my share (like all the other artists) was dramatically reduced by bad deals made without my consent.

It's about sound quality. I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution. I don't feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans. It's bad for my music.

For me, It's about making and distributing music people can really hear and feel. I stand for that.

When the quality is back, I'll give it another look. Never say never.

Neil Young


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