The club of protesters engaged in a battle against Spotify has new members. After Neil Young, 76, and Joni Mitchell, 78, now Young’s former accomplices, David Crosby, 80, Stephen Stills, 77, and Graham Nash, 80, are following in their footsteps.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
In Quebec, only Gilles Vigneault, 93, has dared to stand up so far.
For those who do not follow this case, these artists are boycotting the Swedish online music giant because among the products it offers is the podcast (new windfall for these platforms) by Joe Rogan, former taekwondo champion of 54 years old and ex-presenter of the reality show FearFactor.
With a manly approach, displayed arrogance and questions full of swear words, he conducts interviews with personalities from various walks of life, climate skeptics, conspirators, anti-vaccines, but also people from the world of cinema and new technologies.
His favorite subjects are flying saucers, psychedelic drugs and, of course, COVID-19. The problem with Joe Rogan is that some of his guests say nonsense or falsehoods that the host, as well as his broadcaster, lets pass.
This boycott movement was born in January after 270 doctors signed a letter demanding the withdrawal of the episode where Joe Rogan received Robert Malone, a doctor who presents himself as the inventor of messenger RNA vaccines and who campaigns against their effectiveness. .
Artists at war with Spotify remind this platform that it has a responsibility for the words and ideas that are conveyed in the podcasts it broadcasts.
I took care to specify the age of the rare artists who dare to say that we must refuse this kind of slippage, because for the past few days, we have been witnessing a distressing demonstration of ageism and contempt for these giants. . They are the only ones who want to change things (with the exception of the R&B singer India.Arie) and rather than supporting and thanking them, they are laughed at with fat and venomous laughter.
What I read about Gilles Vigneault’s gesture is absolutely disconcerting. “Is he still alive, that one? », « Gilles Vigneault knows Spotify? Ah ben coudon…”, “Are there really people who listen to Gilles Vigneault on Spotify? “, “Who is that, Gilles Vigneault? etc.
A little more and some told him to take refuge in a room in a CHSLD in Natashquan.
Gilles Vigneault knows full well that his gesture has little economic impact. But that’s not what counts for him: it’s the message he sends, it’s the media impact of his withdrawal that is important. His decision has caused quite a stir over the past few days.
Of course Gilles Vigneault has less to lose by doing this than a Marie-Mai or a Marc Dupré.
It doesn’t bother me that young artists don’t take part in this movement (even though they denounce the low incomes they receive during musical galas, but that’s another story), but that we don’t don’t despise the older ones who have the guts to fight.
I am frankly disgusted by this insolent and disdainful gaze that is cast on the oldest, in all spheres of society. How frankly I am tired of the cult of youth whose presence is sought at all costs and in all sauces.
As a young adult, I had a friend who was very handsome. I had noticed that when he went to bars, he only surrounded himself with handsome and attractive guys like him. I discussed the matter with him. He told me that he understood that beauty attracts beauty. “You get a lot more that way,” he told me.
This is a bit what we are doing at the moment by creating clans with young people and those who are no longer young. We rub shoulders with youth, because it attracts youth and gives the impression that we are still part of it.
Not only do we say that the elderly have no future, but in addition, we erase their past. We forget that these people were already young and that they kept certain habits, including that of being indignant.
While we were insulting Gilles Vigneault or laughing at Neil Young, Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, was thinking in his corner. In fact, the billionaire was watching the value of his empire drop on the stock market. While refusing to attribute these poor results to the Rogan affair, he announced a series of measures to counter misinformation, in particular about COVID-19.
In particular, we will put links in podcasts dealing with this subject that will guide users to factual and scientifically sound information.
It’s soft, but it’s a start, it’s an awakening of consciousness.
Spotify and other major online music platforms now know that there are people, artists in particular, watching them and ready to act.
In this sense, the “old” warriors who stepped up to the plate teach us a great lesson in courage and daring. Let’s hope that those who have been calling them dying bedridden for the past few days will take something away from this.
After all, as Neil Young says in Old Man, a song he wrote in 1972, when he was 27 years old: “Old man, look at my life, I look a lot like you. »