What David Crosby's Final Year Of Life Was Really Like

May 2024 · 2 minute read

David Crosby was the consummate hippy, embracing the virtues of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll throughout his life, while advocating for liberal political causes. Through his music, he espoused what he once jokingly referred to as, "that love, peace, and granola s***" (via Rolling Stone). But by 2022, Crosby struggled to maintain any degree of sunny optimism for the music industry as a business.

Speaking to Stereogum in February of that year, Crosby expressed a deep pessimism for the way streaming had impacted musical artists' ability to make a living through their work. He said that streaming's displacement of physical media, as well as the tiny amounts paid out to artists whose work features on streaming platforms, amounted to a halving of income. As Crosby described, in a fractured and competitive marketplace, up-and-coming talents have little choice but to accept meager pay from streaming, even with options like Bandcamp that Crosby advocated for. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted tours and live performances, further reducing income; Crosby said that he reluctantly sold his publishing rights due to lost revenue — primarily from having live shows taken away.

There was no prospect for reform that Crosby could see. "I don't believe there are good people working [at streaming companies," he said. "If they were good people, they wouldn't work there." And for good measure, he criticized the playback quality on streaming. When prompted, the advice he offered to rising stars was bleak: Find another line of work.

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