Neil Young to remove music from Amazon, urges boycott

Neil Young announced on Oct. 8 that he will remove his music from Amazon and urged fans to boycott the company, posting a message on his Neil Young Archives website that called on supporters to "buy local" and "buy direct." The 79 year old musician said his decision was part of a broader protest against what he described as concentrated corporate power and singled out Amazon, Whole Foods and Facebook for criticism.

In the post, Young wrote in capital letters, "FORGET AMAZON AND WHOLE FOODS. FORGET FACEBOOK. BUY LOCAL. BUY DIRECT," and added that "Soon my music will not be there." He urged fans to support local businesses and wrote that "They need you to buy from them. Don't," framing the action as a response to what he called a "Corporate Control Age." Young also asserted that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos supports the current administration, a claim he presented as part of his rationale for the boycott.

It is not yet clear whether Young's move will remove only his catalog from Amazon Music or also eliminate sales of physical albums and merchandise through Amazon's retail platform. Representatives for Young and Amazon have not issued public statements clarifying the scope or timing...