David Crosby slams 'scummy' Spotify
David Crosby is “done” with the “scummy people” at Spotify.
The rock legend, along with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, recently backed former Crosby, Stills, Nash Young bandmate Neil Young when he removed his music from the streaming service in protest over Joe Rogan's podcast allegedly spreading coronavirus and vaccine misinformation.
And though Spotify promised to make changes after a string of artists followed Neil’s lead, David isn’t expecting much to happen.
He told Stereogum: “They’re not going to suddenly develop a sense of moral responsibility. They’re scummy people…
“I don’t see them growing a conscience. I don’t believe there are good people working there. If they were good people, they wouldn’t work there.”
The 80-year-old musician sold his back catalogue to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group last year and praised them for agreeing to his request to take his music off Spotify.
He said: “The amazing and really wonderful thing is both Iconic and BMG went along with it.
“They said, ‘If that’s what you feel you have to do, we’ll go along with it.’
“I was stunned. That is not normal corporate behaviour. Normally they go for the dollar and the quickest possible answer. They don’t go for that, they don’t do that. They don’t support a moral stand.”
David admitted he doesn’t like streaming services because of the “pitiful” royalties they pay out to artists and the poor sound quality of their output.
He said: “I don’t like Spotify. I don’t like any of the streamers, because they don’t pay us properly. Their proportion is wrong.
“They’re making billions with a b and they’re paying out pennies with a p. That’s not OK.
“It’s not OK in that it took away half my income, and it’s not OK in that, especially, it makes it impossibly difficult for young people to make it in the business. It doesn’t pay them anything. It’s wrong…
“ I don’t like their quality level either. They bum up the signal pretty badly.
“But they and all the other streaming services are ripping us off. They’re quite happy with it. They have no intention of changing it.”
