Neil Young Backs Occupy Audio, Announces New Crazy Horse Album

Posted on Jan 24th 2012 2:00PM by Jason MacNeil
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Steve Jennings, WireImage

Neil Young took to Facebook Tuesday to share his support of Occupy Audio, a proposed music initiative which hopes to "get the sound back to the people." And judging by the list of people onside, it definitely has some clout.

"I support Occupy Audio," Young said in a post on his page. "Thanks for listening."

A two-minute video clip was also posted on Occupy Audio's Facebook page. The clip begins with Young and David Crosby sitting in a car before Crosby gets out and says, "That's the best sound I ever heard in a car ever in my life, and as a matter of fact, it might be some of the best sound I ever heard."

Blues-rock guitarist Marc Ford then adds: "I never heard music like that before, it's a new thing." With Beastie Boys' Mike D, My Morning Jacket, Kid Rock and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea also offering their support in the spot. Even Tom Petty and Mumford and Sons appear in the video, with the latter getting into a vehicle and grooving to the sound in a Chevy El Dorado parked under a standard music festival merchandise tent (footage that was recorded during last year's Bonnaroo festival). "I just sat in the future for two minutes at Bonnaroo," Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett says. "It was pretty wild."

A message on Occupy Audio's Facebook page sheds more info:

"Occupy Audio We want the 95%. This is the 21st Century. We need to take our tones back. Give your fans what YOU hear. Figure out a way to do it. MP3 audio is the new radio. It should be free like radio. Our record companies need to deliver what we are making the way we hear it. Put pressure on them. Our music loving listeners deserve the best. Sell quality. It is possible. We can do it. Now is the time. Don't be a slave to the Media corporations. Change what they are doing. Give your audience what YOU hear. Let them FEEL it. GIVE YOUR FANS A CHOICE. Thanks for listening."

The page also includes a bar chart showing the amount of "lost musical information" fans are not receiving when they hear songs. According to the chart, "today's accepted studio compromise standard 24/96: 50 %."

The official site for Occupy Audio provides little information other than a welcoming message and "stay tuned." There's no word as to when the site will be operating or what Young's plans are regarding the idea. In May 2011, Young took to his own site to state that 2012 would be the year that "record companies release High Resolution Audio" and that it would be huge" for the music industry.

"The spirituality and soul of music is truly found when the sound engulfs you and that is just what 2012 will bring," Young wrote. "It is a physical thing, a relief that you feel when you finally hear music the way artists and producers did when they created it in the studio."

Watch Neil Young's video for 'Old Man'

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reports the 'Harvest Moon' icon is recording a new album with longtime backing band Crazy Horse. Young revealed the news over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival where his concert film 'Neil Young Journeys' (directed by Jonathan Demme) is being shown. The album news was later confirmed by Crazy Horse drummer Ralph Molina.

The only downside for Young of late is a lawsuit by Unigard Insurance Co. regarding the 2010 warehouse fire which destroyed archival material. According to the Associated Press, the insurance company is seeking $500,000 and accused LincVolt of converting a 1959 Lincoln Continental to run on electricity and a biodiesel-powered generator.

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