Neil Young is making a bold move by pulling his music from Amazon, sending a strong message to fans and the industry alike. The iconic rock legend announced this week that his music will soon no longer be available on Amazon, urging listeners to rethink where they spend their money. But here’s where it gets controversial: Young is not just stepping back from one platform; he’s challenging the entire corporate landscape that he believes has betrayed America.
In a message posted on his website Wednesday, Neil Young was clear and passionate. He told his audience to forget about Amazon altogether and to focus on supporting local businesses instead. "It is easy to buy local. Support your community. Go to the local store," he wrote. "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."
While it’s not yet specified if this removal applies to Amazon Music, the streaming service, or solely to physical products sold on Amazon’s marketplace, his call to action is unmistakable: resist corporate dominance by choosing local commerce.
An Amazon representative has not yet responded to inquiries about Young’s decision.
This isn’t Neil Young’s first public break with major corporations. Back in 2022, he famously withdrew his music from Spotify in protest against misinformation on vaccines spread by Joe Rogan’s podcast. This action was quickly supported by Joni Mitchell, although Young’s music eventually returned to Spotify in 2024.
Adding to his activism, Young announced in August that he was leaving Facebook due to concerns over the company’s policies on AI chatbot interactions with children, a serious matter that many overlooked. He referenced this decision again in his recent message, featuring images of the Meta logo alongside the words "forget Facebook."
Neil Young has long been a vocal critic of Donald Trump and the former president’s administration. During Trump’s second term, Young stood up for fellow musicians like Bruce Springsteen during contentious moments and actively supported progressive causes. He performed at Bernie Sanders’ Fighting Oligarchy tour and released a protest song targeting Trump just this past August.
This week, Young addressed the ongoing federal government shutdown with sharp criticism: "They shut down our government," he said, emphasizing the impact on people's incomes, safety, and family health security. He called on Americans to unite, "Take America Back together, stop buying from the big corporations, support local business. Do the right thing. Show who you are."
Is Neil Young’s push against big corporations a necessary stance for protecting communities, or does it oversimplify complex economic realities? Do you agree with his call to boycott giants like Amazon and Facebook, or do you think this strategy might hurt local economies in unforeseen ways? Share your thoughts in the comments below—his challenge sparks an important debate about consumer power and corporate influence in America today.
