Photo Credit: Amazon Music
Neil Young has announced he is pulling his entire music catalog from Amazon Music, citing opposition to what he sees as corporate overreach. The aging rocker also had a few critical things to say about Jeff Bezos’ support of President Trump.
Young has always been known for his outspoken stands and took to his official website to make the declaration. “The time is here. Forget Amazon,” Young writes on the NYA webpage. “Soon my music will not be there. It is easy to buy local. Support your community. Go to the local store. Don’t go back to the big corporations who have sold out America. We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering. They need you to buy from them. Don’t.”
Neil Young’s message to his fans is a direct one, urging them to avoid shopping on Amazon and Whole Foods Market—which is owned by Amazon. He connected his protest to broader concerns over government shutdowns and national direction, stating: “They shut down our government, your income, your safety. Your family’s security. Take America Back together, stop buying from the big corporations, support local businesses. Do the right thing. Show who you are.”
This protest fits a long pattern for Neil Young, who has publicly clashed with digital service providers (DSPs) before. In 2022, Young pulled his songs from Spotify, citing dangerous COVID-19 misinformation airing on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience.’ At the time, Young made his position clear: “You can have Rogan or Young—not both.” Joni Mitchell and the rest of Crosby, Stills, and Nash also followed suit in pulling their music.
After Spotify ended Rogan’s exclusivity with the Joe Rogan podcast, Young quietly restored his catalog to Spotify in 2024. Crosby, Stills, and Nash were only absent for a few months before rights holders with an interest in their catalog not featuring Neil Young decided to bring it back. Joni Mitchell stayed absent from the service as long as Young did, but after he reinstated his music, so did she.
Young’s latest boycott sees him doubling down on his commitment to fighting corporate consolidation by pushing for fan support of independent and local sellers. For now, fans can expect Neil Young’s work to disappear from Amazon’s offerings, as the veteran songwriter—never shy of a controversial stand—issues a call for collective action against what he’s dubbed “the Corporate Control Age”.
