It seems as though “The Godfather of Grunge” Neil Young cannot escape his current enemy: Spotify. Following their two-year boycott of Spotify, Young and his fellow Canadian-born folk singer Joni Mitchell have returned their music to the streaming platform. 

Young was vehement about protesting Spotify following COVID-19 misinformation being spread by Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” His music was removed from the platform in January 2022 after declaring that it was “Rogan or Young. Not both.” Standing with the “Harvest Moon” singer was Joni Mitchell, who also had her music removed from Spotify, though in a much quieter fashion than Young. She stated in an open letter at the time that “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify… Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” 

It should not come as a surprise that Young has been very vocal about his boycott. Since moving to America in 1965, he has expressed his strong views of the government and American society with protest songs like “Ohio,” written when he was a part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

However, last week, Young and Joni Mitchell returned their catalogs to Spotify. 

While Mitchell has yet to make a statement, Young wrote on his website: “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify. I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it. Qobuz and Tidal, where my music is presented, are all High res as well.” 

The announcement came less than a week after it was revealed Joe Rogan’s “The Joe Rogan Experience” will be available on Apple and Amazon as well. Although Young has expressed joy at the thought of his music having the ability to connect with seasoned and new listeners, tension between the singer-songwriter and the no.1 audio streaming service remains high. Young has now shifted from a focus on misinformation to the quality of sound.

“I hope all you millions of Spotify users enjoy my songs!” Young wrote in a post on his website. “They will now all be there for you except for the full sound we created.” 

In the brief time since returning, Young has actively been calling for the music platform to improve their sound to a higher-res quality– something Spotify has spoken about pursuing for years but has yet to do so– and continues to make remarks on his website.

Regardless, music fans of all ages can rejoice over the catalogs of both Neil Young and Joni Mitchell being returned. Access to their music will allow for younger generations to open their minds and their hearts to the inspiring folk-rock both have to offer.

Image from Per Ole Hagen via Wikimedia Commons