Neil Young’s Lonely Quest to Save Music

I would have to agree with Neil, at least from my point of view, probably the reason that I haven't embraced streaming in general. This opinion is one of a 68 year old that grew up with and still embraces vinyl as my primary source of music when I want to listen to music not just have it on in the background. But what does Neil and I know? Enjoy the music

As Tim Cook, the head of Apple, recently told a reporter, without any evident trace of humor, “We worry that the humanity is being drained out of music.”

That is the first positive statement from Apple regarding their destruction of music quality.

@tooblue For me, streaming is great on Tidal and Qobuz. The enjoyment factor is unparalleled compared to other mediums. I am including things like sound quality, convenience, discovery, and even online community (though I miss going to record stores).

However, lo-fi streaming is nails on a blackboard. Get rid of the lo-fi and watch things improve.

BTW - I am a Silicon Valley type that was in the Valley when Apple was coming out with iTunes. I was railing against it then but no one cared. Maybe people are starting to care now. outside of the people on A’Gon.

Steve Jobs, Cook’s predecessor, was also a big music fan. “He listened to vinyl in his living room because he could hear real music,” Young told me. “ And he loved music.” When I ask if he ever spoke directly to Jobs about turning Apple’s iTunes into a platform for music that didn’t sound bad, Young nodded.

“Oh, yeah,” he answered. “He said, ‘Send us your masters and I’ll have my guys do what they can with them to make them sound great.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s impossible, your iPod won’t play anything back.’ ”

Jobs disagreed. “He said, ‘Well, our guys can make it so that your music can play back through it.’ And you know he was right,” Young said. “It does play back, and you can recognize it.” He pauses. “But it’s not my music.”

When Jobs’s biographer asked him about Young’s offer, as related in the biography “Becoming Steve Jobs,” Jobs snapped, “[Expletive] Neil Young.”

I agree with Neil as well.  Low quality streaming is like eating heavily processed food - it's not really food - it's food-like substances.