Neil Young Gives Greenland Free Access to His Archives and Renews Amazon Boycott
Neil Young is doing what Neil Young has always done: saying exactly what he thinks and backing it up with action.
In a message posted to fans, the Canadian icon announced that all residents of Greenland will receive one year of free access to neilyoungarchives.com, his meticulously curated digital vault of music, films, and unreleased material. Normally priced between $24.99 and $99.99 per year, the subscription will now cost Greenlanders exactly zero. The only requirement is a phone number with a Greenland country code.
“Peace and Love” in High Resolution
Young’s message is blunt, emotional, and unmistakably political. He frames the offer as a gesture of solidarity toward people he believes are facing “unjustified threats” caused by what he describes as an “unpopular and, hopefully, temporary” U.S. government.
“I hope my music and my musical films can help relieve some of the stress,” Young wrote, emphasizing that Greenland residents will be able to stream all 62 years of his career in the highest audio quality available.
This isn’t a limited promo or a soft launch. According to Young, the free access can be renewed indefinitely as long as users remain in Greenland. His closing line feels almost utopian: a call for other organizations to follow the same example.
Classic Neil. Idealistic. Stubborn. Unapologetic.
The Amazon Line in the Ice
As if that wasn’t enough, Young doubled down in a separate statement on his longstanding boycott of Amazon, directly calling out founder Jeff Bezos.
Young urged fans to stop using Amazon altogether, criticizing Bezos for supporting the U.S. president and, by extension, U.S. foreign policy and the actions of ICE. If you agree with him, Young says, there are plenty of ways to buy the same products while supporting local stores and independent digital services instead.
“My music will never be available on Amazon as long as it is owned by Bezos,” he stated flatly.
A Costly Stand, On Purpose
Young openly acknowledges that this stance hurts his record label financially in the short term. He just doesn’t care.
To him, the message matters more than the margins. He thanked fans who continue to buy music from local record stores and independent platforms, reinforcing a value system that feels increasingly rare in the streaming era.
Ironically, while Neil Young’s albums are still sold on Amazon.com, including the recent 50th anniversary edition of Tonight’s the Night, his catalog remains absent from Amazon Music. That contradiction says more about modern music distribution than any press release could.
This isn’t celebrity activism-by-Instagram-post. Neil Young is leveraging access, money, and control over his catalog to make a point. Free music as protest. Absence as resistance.
At a time when most legacy artists chase algorithm placement, Young is still choosing friction. And somehow, that makes his voice louder.