Welcome to the latest issue of Spotify Newsletter. Thanks for reading!! I guess the âkerfuffle of the weekâ featured angry Neil Young threatening to pull his music from Spotify to protest what he believes is Joe Roganâs anti-vax misinformation.
So much for rockinâ in the free world. I applaud the Spotify brass for ignoring this utter nonsense - especially from someone with his own long and winding record of spreading scientific misinformation.
Did Young honestly think Spotify was going to toss overboard one of the biggest podcasts in the universe so people could have access to stream tracks from âTransâ or âLanding on Waterâ? To say nothing of just allowing people to think for themselves and listen to who they want, when they want - and take responsibility along the way.
In the end⊠Spotify laughed off Youngâs demands and on Wednesday pulled his music off the platform.
A good comment on Twitter noted that last year Young sold half his publishing rights to his entire song catalog to Hipgnosis. Curious to hear what they have to say about this absurdness.
Freedom of speech and the opportunity to engage with a variety of opinions (good, bad, or otherwise) is far more important than anything on âAfter the Gold Rushâ. Iâm a big fan of Neil Youngâs music, but he is not the arbiter of all that is pure and truthful in the world. He took his ball and went home. So, goodbye.
Moving onâŠ
â In the SPOTlightâ
âïž Why Spotify canât afford to lose Joe Rogan
Spotifyâs thinking is obvious. What does losing Young mean? The companyâs not financially dependent on his streams or subscribers â Drake or Taylor Swift might be a different story â and barring a mass exodus of subscribers over his missing catalog, things remain business as usual.
In fact, the company loses money every time someone streams Youngâs songs, which is why Spotify wanted to get into podcasting in the first place. It makes money every time someone listens to Rogan.
âïž Stripe Teams With Spotify to Drive Subscription Monetization for Creators
Spotify aims to connect creators with fans and help those creative artists make a living from their art, the release stated. Spotify recently introduced Podcast Subscriptions that enable podcasters to charge a monthly fee for their content.
âïž Spotify For Artists Launches New âMade To Be Foundâ Microsite
Spotify for Artists has launched Made to be Found, a new website aimed to serve as a guide for artists to understand the different ways music is discovered by fans on Spotify.
Made to Be Found details how music goes from distribution and playlist pitching, to three key pathways to reaching listener.
đŁPodcast ActionđŁ
Spotifyâs Gimlet Studio Hiring In-House Producers for Harry and Meghan Markle Weekly Podcast
đ§The Playlist Listđ§
Glass Animals become first UK band to top global Spotify singles chart
đDesign Notesđ
Refreshing our Icon System: the why and how behind the changes
How native advertising works in digital audio
đ„Even More Hot News Linksđ„
Spotify takes advantage in the 'race' for the sponsorship of Barça
Spotify hidden features â how to use blended playlists, workouts and more
Migosâ âCultureâ Album Disappears From Spotify and Other Streaming Services
Spotify Still Doesn't Offer AirPlay 2 Nearly Six Months After Last Promising to Support the Feature
Disturbed David Draiman Praises Spotify Removing Neil Young Music