Neil Young claims labels killed Pono Music, continues to be clueless

The Los Angeles Times interviewed Neil Young, talking about music projects old and new with the rocker. He is still on the same crusade for audio quality with his recently unveiled Neil Young Archives as he was with Pono Music, his multi-million dollar crowdfunded project that recently shuttered. And Young has some definite, if bizarre, opinions on why Pono failed. Continue Reading

Neil Young announces Xstream, continuing his odd Pono Music journey

Neil Young is continuing his long, somewhat perplexing journey into the music tech business with the launch of a new high-definition streaming platform called Xstream. Young announced at the end of 2016 that he would translate his Pono Music into a streaming service. Xstream appears to be the result of that plan and of some critique about the original product. Continue Reading

1

Neil Young talks a big game in latest Pono update

Neil Young wrote an update about his hi-res Pono Music company on Facebook. Young gave nods to the other brands Pono works with, both in and out of the music industry, but explained that the company has many partners but “no proven business leader,” in his own words. He added that Pono is working to set up shop in multiple countries despite a lack of resources. Continue Reading

Neil Young stops streaming over sound quality concerns

Neil Young is back in the headlines after he announced that he will remove his catalog from streaming services. His complaint is about sound quality. “I don’t need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution,” he said in a Facebook post. “When the quality is back, I’ll give it another look.” Continue Reading

Hi-Def Update: Pogue takes on Pono

The first rumblings of skepticism about Pono Music and its promised revolution in sound quality emerged last month, and since then the critics have become more visible and more vocal. Professional musician and journalist David Pogue is the latest to turn his ear to the question of how much different hi-def listening can really offer. In the interest of science, he conducted a blind experiment. Continue Reading