Neil Young recently expressed his disappointment at Google. The Canadian singer-songwriter accused the company of building their wealth on artists and not paying them anything.
On Friday, the 72-year-old musician also mentioned Amazon and Facebook in his lengthy tirade.
"The Tech Giants have figured out a way to use all the great music of everyone from all time, without reporting an artist's number of plays or paying a f-king cent to the musicians. Aren't they great companies!!! It makes you wonder where the next generation of artists will come from. How will they survive?" wrote Young.
Young went on to criticize Google's corporate motto of "Don't Be Evil," as well as the company's new tagline, "Do the Right Thing." He said that Google is the one that is not doing the right thing. In fact, the company has been ripping off the artist community for the past couple of years.
The Rebellious Neil Young
As of late, Google, Amazon, and Facebook have not yet responded to Young's statements. The "Grandfather of Grunge" was once dubbed as a rebellious man by Rolling Stone. In 1975, he said that he rarely does interviews because his statements are always taken out of context.
"As a matter of fact, the more I didn't do them the more they wanted them; the more I said by not saying anything. But things change, you know. I feel very free now," said Young.
Who Is Neil Young?
Young started his music career in the 1960s. He later moved to Los Angeles from Canada and formed the Buffalo Springfield band with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, and more. In 1969, he joined Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Some of Young's albums include Mirror Ball, Silver & Gold, Ragged Glory, Broken Arrow, Prairie Wind, Greendale, Rust Never Sleeps, and more. Some of his most popular songs include "Old Man," "Heart of Gold," "Rockin' in the Free World," "Southern Man," "Helpless," "Sugar Mountain," "Cowgirl in the Sand," "Powderfinger," "A Man Needs a Maid," and "Down by the River."
Other than his career in music, Young is also known for directing some films under his pseudonym Bernard Shakey. He helmed Journey Through the Past in 1973, Rust Never Sleeps in 1979, Human Highway in 1982, Greendale in 2003, and more.
Young also contributed some songs to the official soundtrack of the 1993 film Philadelphia, as well as the 1995 movie Dead Man.
