David Crosby responds to fan asking why Crosby, Stills & Nash music is back on Spotify

David Crosby has responded to a fan query about why the music catalogue of Crosby, Stills & Nash is back on Spotify.

The group, comprising Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills, decided to remove their music from the audio streaming platform in solidarity with former bandmate Neil Young earlier this year.

The 76-year-old’s music was removed from Spotify early this year, after Young protested against the spread of Covid misinformation on The Joe Rogan Experience, which is one of the platform’s most popular podcasts.

However, the band’s music since appears to be back on the streaming platform.

On Saturday 2 July, Crosby responded to a fan asking why the band’s music had returned to Spotify, writing: “I don’t own [the music] now and the people who do are in business to make money.”

In January, Young was widely praised for publishing a since-removed open letter addressed to his manager and record label, which said: “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, [The Joe Rogan Experience], which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence.

He added: “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform … They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”

Young joined the folk-rock supergroup in 1969 which became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with his inclusion.

However, the band hasn’t performed together since 2013. During an interview with The Guardian, Crosby described Young as “the most self-centred, self-obsessed, selfish person I know”.

Crosby also admitted he doesn’t speak to Nash, saying: “Graham just changed from the guy I thought was my best friend to being a guy that is definitely my enemy, so I don’t see any future there at all… He gave the impression of looking after me, but apparently that was all just trying to keep the money coming.”

Following Young’s ultimatum, other artists such as Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist Nils Lofgren, and Indie.Arie followed suit in asking Spotify to remove their work over its continued association with Rogan’s podcast.

Author Roxane Gay and comedian Stewart Lee also joined the boycott, with Gay pulling her podcastThe Roxane Gay Agenda and Lee removing his stand-up catalogue from Spotify.