It had to happen. As our societal polarization worsens, musicians are now taking up sides.
In a political, social, and economic environment that seemingly couldn’t get more contentious, we’re seeing some big names in the recording industry taking a stand. It’s been happening in the world of sports for several years now, triggered first by Colin Kaepernick’s knee, and this year, in the form of vaccine mandates, highlighted by stars like NBA superstar Kyrie Irving, and later Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers.
Over these past many months, fans have jumped into the fray, lighting up social media with acerbic, controversial strings of vitriol. There’s tremendous passion on both sides of these arguments, of course, generally good for enablers like ESPN, sports talk radio, and other commentators seizing these moments where we’re not arguing balls and strikes, but masks or no masks, or in this case, the values of vaxxing and related mandates.
A recent focal point has been Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan. The wildly popular host has become famous for his vaccination comments. And even after an appearance on his podcast by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Rogan has been resolute in his position. In the middle of the Aaron Rodgers brouhaha this past fall, the quarterback noted he was getting his COVID information not from doctors or scientists, but from Rogan.
This one has been bubbling under for more than a year, mostly the province of politicians and regular citizens outraged about the other side’s views on the topic of inoculations and whether or not they should be mandatory. For musicians, outside of the occasional tweet or interview question, there’s been mostly radio silence.
Until now.
Fittingly, Neil Young was the first to go. And unlike other outspoken rock stars, Young put his statement in ultimatum form last week. To Spotify, the often political Young put it simply: him or me.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
In a letter to his manager last week, Young made his intentions clear:
“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform, I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines, potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by (Spotify).”
But of course this interesting state of affairs goes well beyond COVID, its prevention, treatment, and ultimate cure.
It first exposes the Spotify rift that’s been bubbling under for some time. Young, in particular, has complained for years about streaming platforms and their specious sound quality. Back in 2015, I even wrote a blog post about it – “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Stream)” – when Young put all streaming services on notice via his Facebook feed:
No love lost for Spotify and other music streamers.
In the Rogan protest, other “old-liners” followed Young’s example, including Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren, along with Bette Midler – holy AC radio!
Neil Young is no stranger to protests, having exercised his influence many times over the years, letting his music from “Ohio” to “Rockin’ In The Free World” make a statement. This time, Young weaponized his music again, removing it from the Spotify catalogue.
Interestingly, the boycott seemed to have a rather immediate and profound impact, as Spotify lost more than $4 billion of market value the next day. And apparently the heat forced both Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, and Rogan himself to comment on the issue of misinformation.
In the case of the company, Ek admitted Spotify hasn’t been especially transparent about its policies on content from its host properties – like Rogan’s podcast:
“It’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.”
Moving forward, Spotify says they will publish its content guide for its creators, add a “content advisory” to podcast episodes revolving around COVID, and test ways to highlight its rules in the platform’s publishing tools, so everyone involved understands where the foul lines are.
Rogan offered up one of those qualified “apologies” (or “non-apology) we’ve become used to in this highly polarized environment:
“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry. I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”
Spotify’s shares rebounded 12% yesterday. There’s no question Ek will support his company’s substantial investment in Rogan, as well as podcasting, as opposed to how the company cashes in on classic artists who fortunes peaked decades ago.
In the case of Young, Mitchell, and other artists that end up joining the protest, losses from their political stance may not be as great as many think.
These streaming proceeds are estimates from the rapper T-Pain (aka Faheem Rasheed Najm) who published his data in a recent social post. The story was carried by Digital Music News.
Unless you’re Adele, Dave Grohl, or BTS, you’re not making much of a living on their streaming spins. Add to that Spotify’s reported $100 million deal with Rogan in the first place, and perhaps Young and other music protestors aren’t walking away from much.
Plus, consider how Neil Young’s exposure has been amplified during the past week. He’s been trending in social media, and SiriusXM (re)launched an entire channel dedicated to the outspoken artist. Strange days, indeed.
Put your politics aside on this one because no matter which side you support (or if you’ve opted to remain on the sidelines), CNN recently nailed the net effect of this skirmish in an opinion piece by Richard Galant:
“Neil Young put his finger on America’s great divide”
Lately, I’ve been going back to the lyrics of “For What It’s Worth” from Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young’s first band when he moved to L.A. from his hometown Winnipeg.
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
And…
Singing songs and they’re carrying signs
Mostly say, “Hooray for our side”
In many ways, the world of music is now undergoing what we’ve witnessed in sports during the past few years. Artists are taking sides in our societal wars.
And the “battle lines” are becoming clearer with each passing day. You can see it all over social media. In the post below, it’s a response from media maven Evan Shapiro to a Twitter user who personally aligned with the artists at the bottom of this tweet:
Sane:
Bruce Springsteen
Neil Young
Elton John
Paul McCartney
Mick JaggerNutjobs:
Pedo Nugent
KKKlapton
Kiddie Rock
White Van MorrisonSorry, what was your point again Toni? https://t.co/3HFn8IHIBt
— Evan Shapiro (@eshap) January 28, 2022
Moving forward, will we – and our audiences – think politics when they hear Neil Young or Eric Clapton on the radio? What other artists will enter the fray, taking sides on this issue and others yet to come? And will younger artists – those on the Pop, Alternative, or Hip-Hop side of the spectrum make their feelings known – or will they stay on the sidelines?
And will that have an effect on radio station music tests?
I’m not sure of the answer to those first questions, but to the last one, I have to give a qualified “yes.”
I first remember seeing the phenomenon when Bruce Springsteen first supported John Kerry for President in the 2004 election. A story in Politico a decade later – “How Ronald Regan Changed Bruce Springsteen’s Politics” – reported that Springsteen had been generally apolitical until the Reagan campaign started using “Born In The U.S.A.” during rallies. In recent years, many musical artists have taken exception to politicians using their songs as political fight songs.
I started seeing Springsteen songs getting hammered, even in markets where he always enjoyed great favorability. A deeper dive into the numbers revealed that a group of respondents (roughly one-third of the sample) gave every Springsteen song a “1” – the lowest possible score. Even though songs like “Born To Run,” “Dancin’ In The Dark,” and yes, “Born in the U.S.A.” had considerable fan support, the negative scores were enough to drag all his songs below standard acceptance levels.
That could happen again – and some PDs might argue it’s been happening for some time now. How programmers adjust their metrics to accommodate the politicization of their music will vary from situation to situation. But it very well may force conversations, and even music policy shifts.
We have asked political party affiliation in Techsurveys over the past several years (always the very last question in the survey because even its appearance rankles some respondents). The results, by format, are always very telling and interesting.
As the saying goes, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” It also divides us in ways that permeate just about every level of our lives.
Including, it seems, our radio stations.
I’d love to hear from you on this issue, but ask that in your comments here and on my social pages, you keep your comments civil. We have to find ways to dialogue on these issues without falling into the same traps that impact everyone else. Thank you. – FJ
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Couple of quick things. Barry Manilow has tweeted that he has no dog in this hunt and has no idea how that started.
https://twitter.com/barrymanilow/status/1487155470838104066
I’ve seen an endless laundry list of artist that people tweet are on one side or another. Anyone can say anything and people take it as fact on social media (as you well know). The only three artists I have seen actual tweets from (them) supporting the ban are Young, Mitchell and Niels.
Rogan has stated in the past that he is not ‘anti-vax’ and for news outlets to say he is is disingenuous. I’m fully vaxed (at least by this weeks standards) and believe everyone would be better off if they did get it, but like any medical procedure, it should be an individual choice. Does this make me anti-vax?
From last year: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56948665
The political polarization in the US (and this week Canada and many European countries) is getting worse by the minute. We all need to take a deep breath, listen to each others point of view with respect and stop fighting over dogma.
On the flip side, there is always the idea of formats divided by political stances of musicians. What a nightmare.
Fred
What about Arttist that sold their Music? Will they have any say in their songs be played on those streaming services?
Just a quick technical note; Amazon Music (NOT Prime) and Tidal both offer FLAC files. Those are losslessly compressed files that open up to full 16 bit 44.1kHz WAV files. They also offer even high def files than that for a premium.
Neil would approve of this.
Our democracy is noisy and messy—in some eras much more than others. Remember the 60’s and early 70’s? Rock was very much part of the protest movement against the Vietnam war. It was often in outright rebellion against older generations. (“Hope I die before I get old”) Instead of being gloomy and despairing about our disagreements, we can also celebrate that this is what America is all about. Freedom!
Feels like an echo from the earliest days of FM rock radio, when many stations were animated by anti-war and anti-establishment cultural energy.
Today, as many music radio stations struggle to elicit listener passion, this could be an opportunity for bold programmers who truly understand their core listeners. It will require a paradigm shift away from “offend nobody” and toward “stand for something meaningful.”
And if SiriusXM isn’t afraid to do it, what would stop a local radio station, right? (Is there a Ted Nugent channel on SiriusXM?)
Are the call letters “WOKE” available? I’ve got a format idea!
WOKE-LP FM in Ft Myers FL, per FCC query page.
See John Covell’s comment, Rob. Apparently, you’re a little late on this. Maybe head west – KWKE (K-WOKE?)
Let’s talk about those music tests, Fred.
I know it’s just not easy to get people to participate. So my question is…who’s more likely to participate?
Liberals or conservatives? I’m guessing conservatives, but you’d certainly know best. Perhaps that’s why Bruce and other outspoken rockers are trending down?
Just a thought. Thanks for this subject today…seems like everyone is talking about it
Great question. Love to know the answer too, Fred.
Another crazy 2022 mess, Pat. And it’s just February.
Unlike other streaming services, Spotify is the sole distributor of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” And that’s the whole point Neil Young is making. They are Rogan’s sole distributor and as such, are responsible for his content.
Unlike other boycotts, this one may have legs.
I sense this may be just the beginning of a much longer kerfuffle.
Right on target. Mr Ek might pretend it’s not his job to censor content, that he is not a publisher, but Spotify plainly is a publisher with regard to Mr Rogan’s content. He owns it, just as the NY Times owns the opinions that it publishes, along with any consequences and potential liability.
Neil Young has every right to excuse himself from Spotify for whatever reasons he has. But Neil better be ready to keep moving. Now that he’s pledged allegiance to Amazon, what can he do but cancel Amazon when Bezos’s Washington Post gets caught delivering misinformation as in the Steele dossier/Russian collusion story?
WAPO issued retractions for their misdeeds and it appears Spotify and Rogan are making every attempt to be responsible going forward. Perhaps by the time you read this Neil and Spotify will have made up.
What a PR bonanza these artists have created. How else could Neil Young or Barry Manilow find themselves front and center…Nils Lofgren on the NBC nightly news and in the NY Times – wow. The protest premise notwithstanding, these artists are leveraging Joe Rogan’s BS handsomely, And so is Joe Rogan.
Its really weird how how many people would take Joe Rogan’s advice over their doctor’s and how he (and many others) see this issue as two sided. The idea that any therapy proven not to work has to be presented along side any one that does to ensure balance is flat out nuts IMO. There aren’t two sides to settled science or documented history and offering lies up with the same air of legitimacy as facts so people can “decide” is manipulative – Rogan has an agenda on this, many of his listeners share it, so he went all in and got 10 times the PR boost that Neil Young did. The money train left the station, has been artists, Joe Rogan and Spotify all jumped on and there was a payout for everyone, regardless of where they stood.
When pure horsesh*t routinely gets the same platform and accompanying legitimacy as truth and facts, serious, irreversible problems can result. When there is money to be made by muddying the waters and how much money is tied directly to the amount of mud, a problem can quickly devolve into a full blown crisis.
Maybe there’s an opportunity for radio to become relevant here – if Nils Lofgren can do it…
There’s a rumor that Yoko Ono threatened to have her music added to Spotify if Joe Rogan didn’t stop spreading falsehoods.
The Yoko comment is just plain wrong, Bob! Hysterical! And yes, I’ll be stealing it! But it’s still wrong!
I appreciate you didn’t fall into the trap most of the other coverage of this topic has centered on – “opinions” and “free speech”.
I have “opinions” about Tom Thibodeau’s rotations with the Knicks. I have “opinions” on what the Yankees should do in free agency. I have “opinions” on Neil Young songs.
I even have “opinions” on the Fed’s monetary policies though there is a lot more empirical evidence in that realm as opposed to whom the Yankees should play at Short.
What I don’t get to have an “opinion” on is science. Science is not a liberal conspiracy. The Moon is not made out of Green Cheese and my “opinion” on its composition is worthless. Even a lot more worthless than my “opinion” on whom the Knicks should draft.
This issue has nothing to do with “opinions” and everything to do with money, and since Spotify is a private company and not using public airwaves, they can choose entertainment and money over truth.
By framing this discussion around “opinions”, we give credence to the idea that there is a “discussion” to be made about vaccinations, masks and the realities of viruses and there isn’t.
Studies show that repeating a lie, even if it is implausible, can have the effect of making it seem more likely to be true. Calling out lies is, in effect, repeating them. Too many times, even when the press says they are false, they’re allowing those things to be repeated. It would be better if they didn’t print or air the lies but told the true story and then pointed out that these people are telling a different story, one that isn’t true.
Of course I am being hopelessly naïve. The genie is already out of the bottle and it is never going back in. Neil “taking sides” in his quixotic quest may have brought some attention to the matter but has no chance of success.
There are “two sides” in this country but the sides are those who are susceptible to the con and those that aren’t. It isn’t ideology; it is gullibility, hate and fear.
Our obsession with “free speech” has blinded us to the risks of allowing decadent falsehoods and hate speech to pass as honest, truthful discourse. Ironically, it will be free speech that robs us of our freedoms in the end. Rod Serling knew that.
“Logic is an Enemy and Truth is a Menace” – The Obsolete Man – The Twilight Zone
Looking for the “like” button on this one!
Reminds me of the one line that makes me most crazy: “I’m going to do my own research.” I saw a cartoon where a man is sitting at a table on the internet and calls to his wife in the next room, “Honey, come in here! I found more information that all the world’s top scientists and doctors missed!” It’s just sad. I have no answers for how on earth straightforward public health policy–seemingly always shared by my friends across the political spectrum–became so polarizing.
Sounds like a good idea – “standing for something”. Many talk stations did that when Rush Limbaugh was at his peak, I work for one that proclaims itself as “The Voice of Liberty” -offering up a good dose of conservative programming. Music stations could “lean” that way -but would run the risk of being “too radical”, as a certain former president is labeled. But back in the day the Rock stations were considered culturally aligned with the protest movement. It worked then, do you think a music station could survive today with that kind of approach ?
Dave, considering how often the topic of “what else can we try?” comes up in Fred’s blogs, I don’t see why someone wouldn’t take a swing at this. Wouldn’t a 2 be an improvement (if not a doubling) for 2/3 of the stations out there?
It’s interesting that SiriusXM starts up a Neil Young channel, politics be damned. On broadcast radio, we live in fear of audience retribution.
Joe Rogan can say whatever he wants. So can you. So can the 10s of thousand of podcasters, broadcasters and regular citizens of this country. Whether I choose to A) listen and B) accept or reject those words or… hmmm- use them along with others’ words to form my own truth /realty /opinion is uniquely up to me and guaranteed by our freedom of speech. I love that Neil Young once was a part of The Freedom of Speech Tour.
Crazy times we’re living in, my friend.
Well I’m pretty sure I heard something about Neil Young shooting his baby dead down by a river…
He’s just a miner for a heart of gold.
“How programmers adjust their metrics to accommodate the politicization of their music will vary from situation to situation.”
Fascinating. I love this stuff.
Music as a Peaceful Protest is a bit more fitting than the fashionable use of Weaponization.
Probably true, but if you’re trying to get attention, this is working.
Anyone okay with banning Joe Rogan is advocating censorship! Notice how lefties call ANYTHING “misinformation” if they don’t like what is being said? Silencing viewpoints you don’t like is a very authoritarian behavior and should be discouraged. You don’t like Joe Rogan, don’t listen to him. Stop trying to make only certain viewpoints acceptable. Sick and tired of intolerant, hateful people wanting to silence ANYONE they don’t like! Grow up!!!
Carol, i read your comment carefully, and went back over my post to determine if I had overstepped or been unfair in my characterization of this controversy. as you suggest. I went to great pains when I wrote it to put in a fair and thoughtful context. Here’s my quote that contains the trigger word – “misinformation” – that apparently pissed you off:
“Interestingly, the boycott seemed to have a rather immediate yand profound impact, as Spotify lost more than $4 billion of market value the next day. And apparently the heat forced both Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, and Rogan himself to comment on the issue of misinformation. In the case of the company, Ek admitted Spotify hasn’t been especially transparent about its policies on content from its host properties – like Rogan’s podcast:'”It’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.'”
Spotify and Rogan both admitted they need to do better.
As for silencing Rogan, no one is suggesting that. Neil Young (and others) aren’t asking that Ek/Spotify ban his podcasts. They are simply informing them they do not want to be on the same platform as Rogan. That’s their right.
As for your tone, anger, and name-calling, it is what dozens of other commenters managed to avoid here and on my social pages. That’s what it means to be a “grown up” – to engage in discourse in which you have a fundamental disagreement, but to do so civilly. If you cannot comply with that, my suggestion is you take your vitriol elsewhere.
It’s time to update a classic line that appear to have worn well over time…
“I hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don’t need him around anyhow…”
Andy, don’t get on Neil’s bad side! 🙂