Neil Young has a gift for the people of Greenland – free access to his music for a year.
Something to warm the cockles of the hearts of the 56,000-strong population of the Arctic island during the long dark winter months, then. And a way to divert their attention from Donald Trump’s continuing threats to annex their homeland.
Indeed, that is Young’s specific intention. “I hope my music and music films will ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats you are experiencing from our unpopular and hopefully temporary government,” Young wrote in a statement on his website, Neil Young Archives.
“It is my sincere wish for you to be able to enjoy all of my music in your beautiful Greenland home, in its highest quality. This is an offer of Peace and Love. All the music I have made during the last 62 years is yours to hear. You can renew for free as long as you are in Greenland. We do hope other organisations will follow in the spirit of our example. LOVE EARTH.”
This comes in the week that Young also reiterated his boycott of Amazon, to its owner’s Jeff Bezos’s support for Trump. After Bezos donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2024, the 80 year old singer songwriter withdrew his music from the streaming platform, Amazon Music.
This week, Young reminded his audience that the boycott is still in place. “Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, a billionaire backer of the president. The president’s international policies and his support of ICE make it impossible for me to ignore his actions. If you feel as I do, I strongly recommend that you do not use Amazon.
"There are many ways to avoid Amazon and support individual Americans and American companies that supply the same products. I have done that with my music and people who are looking can find it in other places.”
It should be pointed out that you can still buy Young’s CDs and vinyl on Amazon – it’s very hard for even the most determinedly ethical shopper to avoid it completely. He’d probably prefer it if you went to a record shop, though...
