David Crosby Reveals Streaming And Covid Forced Him To Sell His Publishing

SHARE NOW

David Crosby has been forced to sell some of his song publishing to keep afloat during the pandemic. Although no dollar amount was given, during a new interview with American Songwriter, "Croz" revealed the heartbreaking decision to part with his songs, explaining the sale was was due to music streaming and his road work drying up: "I usually have two ways that I work. I can either make records or do concerts, those are the two ways I make money. Then, streaming came along and I don’t make money from records anymore. That’s done. Nowadays, you go in, you record, you do your job for a month and they give you a nickel. You’d be pissed. . . I’m pissed. Streaming doesn’t pay us squat, you couldn’t feed a squirrel on what they pay us. So, with that I lost half my income."

Crosby went on to say, "I wanted to be grateful that I could still play live shows and take care of my family, pay my rent, do my thing. Then comes along Covid and now I can’t work anymore. That put me out of business. So, I’m not doing all that great — I sold some of my publishing. I had to do that so I could have money to live on, so I could take care of my family."

He spoke frankly about how difficult it was selling the ownership of his songs: "It was hard. I saved my publishing all this time. I didn’t even sell my publishing when I was a goddamn junkie and a junkie would sell their mother! So, it was really hard to do, but I’m grateful that it was an option I had. That’s the only way that I can continue to take care of my family and live in my home."

David Crosby told us he still feels blessed and privileged to have been able to be a songwriter and recording artist for over half a century: ["I'm not a wise man, I'm not a studied man, I'm not really an educated man. For me to glimpse a piece of truth that gleamingly clear is a big event in my life and to be able to transmit it, it's a big deal. And I felt that if we got any of that level on a record that I was functioning as I was born to do. This is the job I was born to do."] SOUNDCUE (:26 OC: . . . born to do)

David Crosby On Being Born To Make Music :