Twitch streamer xQc is calling out performative activism among artists like Neil Young and Taylor Swift.
xQc gave a succinct, harsh opinion on the tendency of artists to backpedal on outspoken statements while enjoying a deep-dive into Spotify. Mid-stream, he piped up to note that artists like Swift and Young have a “big mouth with no spine,” when it comes to standing up for what’s right.
xQc’s comments came as he was enjoying “How Spotify Is Changing Our World Forever,” a YouTube deep-dive into the business practices of one of the world’s biggest music services. The 25-year-old streamer was silently watching as the documentary detailed artists who’ve attempted to resist Spotify’s “dominance over the music industry.” Swift and Young were both named as outspoken celebrities who’ve previously removed their music from Spotify over various controversies.
Swift’s music has been back on the platform for quite some time now, but back in 2014 she removed her entire music catalogue from Spotify. She also penned a critical op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, taking aim at the low pay many artists receive from Spotify and noting that “It’s my opinion that music should not be free and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will some day decide what an album’s price point is.”
Swift stuck to her guns for several years, and her efforts pushed Spotify to offer better compensation to its various artists. By 2017, Swifties could once again enjoy music from their favorite artist on the popular app.
In 2022, new controversy arose, and this time Neil Young and podcaster Joe Rogan were at the core. Rogan’s controversial podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, sparked widespread backlash in early 2022, after multiple episodes of the lucrative podcast spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. In response, Young demanded that Spotify choose between his music and Rogan’s podcast. When the music streamer failed to act, Young removed his entire library of music from its lineup.
Several other musicians followed suit, with heavy-hitters like Joni Mitchell adding the weight of their absence to Young’s. Soon, Swift fans were calling on her to do the same, noting her enduring ability to affect widespread change. Despite encouragement from her fans, Swift did not remove her music in the wake of the Rogan controversy, according to Newsweek.
Reports that Young “quietly” returned his music to Spotify are largely false, according to fact checking from Reuters. Despite this, a wealth of reporting claims that the artist subtly softened his stance, choosing the prominence of Spotify over his own morals. These claims arose in the YouTube video highlighting Spotify’s many controversies, and sparked xQc’s comments about Swift and Young.
While Swift did, in fact, walk back her threats to keep her music off of Spotify, it seems that Young is largely sticking to his guns. You can enjoy a few bare Young tracks on the streamer, but the vast majority of his 41 studio albums and 12 live albums are entirely absent from the platform. Fans will need to try out other platforms, or invest in the albums themselves, if they want to enjoy most of Young’s many contributions to the world of music.
Swift has maintained a general distance from the Rogan Spotify controversy, but criticism of her eventual return to Spotify is fair. While the platform did promise to do better in paying its artists, there is still much work to be done. Swift, as one of the most prominent musical artists in the world, holds huge sway in matters like this. Her lack of action is, in and of itself, an issue. It’s also her decision, and even her critical fans have to accept that.
xQc’s comment about Swift and Young is valid, particularly in the eyes of less-influential artists. It can be frustrating to see beloved celebrities take a hard, respectable stance on a major issue, only to later slink back to the norm with their tails tucked. We need more people to stand against things like misinformation and poor pay, and most of us don’t have the platform to properly advocate for change.
Swift and Young do, so when they do nothing, we notice.
