Neil Young trashes Amazon, gifts Greenland free access to his music archive

Canadian-American rock star Neil Young has announced that he will offer Greenlanders a year's free access to his complete digital archives and has criticised Amazon over its support for Donald Trump, saying he hopes the gesture will help "ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats" Greenlanders are facing, BBC reports.

According to the BBC, the move comes amid remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to annex Greenland, which is a Danish territory, citing national security concerns, although he has recently softened his stance, saying he seeks "immediate negotiations" and would not use force.

Young, a long-time and outspoken critic of Trump, described the offer as one "of peace and love" in a statement published on his website, adding that he hoped "other organisations will follow in the spirit of our example."

He signed the message "love earth" and referred to the Trump administration as "our unpopular and hopefully temporary government."

Under the initiative, Greenland residents will be able to access Young's digital archive — which normally costs around $25 (£18) depending on the subscription — free of charge for a year, with verification requiring a Greenland-registered mobile phone number.

According to the BBC, Neil Young has a long history of political activism and protest.

The BBC reported that in 2020, he took legal action to prevent Donald Trump from using his music at campaign rallies.

The BBC also stated that earlier this month, Young criticised the former president again, writing online: "Wake up people! Today the USA is a disaster. Donald Trump is destroying America bit by bit with his staff of wannabes… He has divided us."

The BBC added that Young has called for a boycott of Amazon over founder Jeff Bezos's donations to Trump's campaign and his support for the administration.

The BBC further reported that in 2024, Young ended a two-year boycott of Spotify, which he had initially launched in protest against the platform hosting Joe Rogan's podcast.

The BBC noted that in 2022, Young requested that Spotify remove hits such as Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold, accusing Rogan of spreading vaccine misinformation, and that other artists, including Joni Mitchell and India Arie, joined the protest.

Young later said his return to Spotify did not signal a change in his views but followed Rogan's $250m (£181m) deal to distribute the podcast across multiple platforms rather than exclusively on Spotify, BBC added.

Neil Young was born in Canada, later moved to the United States, and holds dual citizenship.