SiriusXM Revives 'Neil Young Radio' After Rock Legend's Spotify Exodus

Neil Young fans who are lamenting his self-imposed departure from the Spotify Technology SA SPOT podcast platform might be happy to know that SiriusXM SIRI is bringing back a channel devoted to the legendary singer/songwriter.

What Happened: “Neil Young Radio” was originally offered as a limited-run channel in December. Beginning on Jan. 27, it will be offered for a seven-day run on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks Channel 27 and a month-long streaming feature on the SXM App.

The channel includes Young’s solo work, his early career collaborations with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and original interviews with Young about his approach to songwriting and recording.

Related Link: Spotify May Not Get To Keep On Rockin' In The Free World: Inside the Neil Young Vs. Joe Rogan Feud

While SiriusXM did not acknowledge Young’s exodus from Spotify on Thursday, the timing seemed anything but coincidental.

"When you have an opportunity to present an iconic artist still at the height of his creativity, you don't hesitate to do it, again," said Steve Blatter, SiriusXM senior vice president and general manager for music programming.

"Outspoken, brave, and a true music icon, Neil Young is in a rare class of artists, and we are honored to collaborate with him to create a special audio experience for his fans."

Why It Happened: Young made an ultimatum to Spotify demanding that the platform either remove his music or remove its popular talk show hosted by Joe Rogan. Young accused Rogan of using his show to spread misinformation on COVID-19 and insisted he would not share the platform with him.

Spotify is the exclusive home of Rogan’s podcast, which has 11 million listeners per weekday episode. In comparison, Young had over 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Last month, the 76-year-old Young released "Barn," his 41st studio album and his 14th with the band Crazy Horse. Young's wife, actress Daryl Hannah, directed a documentary on the making of the album that is now available for free viewing on YouTube. 

Photo: NRPK P3/Flickr Creative Commons