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July 16, 2015

Neil Young stops streaming his music but it's not why you think

By CNNMoney

Neil Young's done with streaming.

But his decision has nothing to do with money.

For Young, it's all about the music. He says the quality of streaming just can't compare to those good old-fashioned eight-track tapes and AM radio.

"Streaming has ended for me," the Canadian folk bard wrote yesterday on his Facebook page. "I hope this is ok for my fans. It's not because of the money, although my share (like all other artists) was dramatically reduced by bad calls made without my consent."

"It's about sound quality," Young continued, explaining his decision to pull all his music from streaming services. "I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution. I don't feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans. It's bad for my music."

Taylor Swift famously pulled her music from Spotify last year for financial reasons before eventually streaming her album "1989" through Apple.

Young, who has his own digital music service called Pono, did leave a door open.

"When the quality is back, I'll give it another look," he wrote. "Never say never."

Young blasts companies like WalMart, Monsanto and Starbucks in his new album "The Monsanto Years."

Sound quality -- and the mode by which it is delivered -- is a new tirade from the "Cinnamon Girl" singer, and it drew a mixed reaction from fans.

"Kids don't care about sound quality," one fan wrote on Facebook. "They're listening to music on ear buds, computer speakers and phones. All you're doing is making sure you[r] music is not heard by younger generations."

The younger fans may not be familiar with the outmoded technologies that Young prefers, which makes him sound like the "Old Man" from one of his signature songs.

"AM radio kicked streaming's ass," Younge wrote, in a follow-up Facebook message. "Analog cassettes and 8 tracks also kicked streaming's ass, and absolutely rocked compared to streaming. Streaming sucks. Streaming is the worst audio in history."

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