Mark Mothersbaugh Speaks Out on Neil Young Spotify Issue; Is ‘Devo’ Member in Favor of Music Legend’s Move?

Mark Mothersbaugh is the recent musician to comment on Neil Young and other artists' decision to remove their music from Spotify after having an issue with Joe Rogan's "misinformation" on the platform because of his podcast.

Speaking to Billboard, the "Devo" frontman revealed he supports Young's recent move to protest the Swedish-based company for having "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast on their platform.

He noted that it's "a strange time" nowadays because people have been "spreading misinformation on purpose."

The musician added that it's dangerous for the general public that hear it.

Mothersbaugh also noted that Neil Young, a good pal of him, is "smart," but his move was shocking because battling such a music streaming platform is like "David and Goliath."

"That's a hard one to undertake. I do agree with him that there has to be some sort of responsibility if people are getting all their information from places like Spotify," he added.

Elsewhere in the interview, the composer questioned the dangers of misinformation, saying the younger generation might "even be more immune to that stuff," but the older ones are used to this type of news.

Mark Mothersbaugh Not the First Artist to Support Neil Young

Mothersbaugh's recent interview comes a day after Rosanne Cash expressed her thoughts about Young's issue with Spotify, saying she supports the singer's move but claims it's not viable for other artists.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer noted that Neil Young's decision is "agreeable," but there are other musicians who can't do the same thing.

She explained that small-time artists heavily rely on streamers to release their songs and earn money.

In addition, Young is considered as one of the "legacy artists" within the music industry because they have the clout to get their music labels to do the work, which isn't possible for artists who are just starting.

"I wish they would explain how they were able to do that and why," Rosanne Cash said.

Furthermore, Cash said younger artists just started their career in the music industry and can't do the same thing that the musician din, or else, their compensation would be "sacrificed."

Speaking about her opinion about other musicians removing their music from the platform, she wanted Spotify to monitor its content about misinformation and COVID-19 details and be fair to artists when it comes to money.

Tags

Spotify, Neil Young