David Crosby's depressing advice to aspiring musicians: "Don't do it"

David Crosby may be a Grammy award winner and have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice, but the legendary singer still wants to warn aspiring musicians to stay away from the industry.

Crosby has been dominating headlines in recent weeks for removing his music from Spotify in light of the Joe Rogan controversy. Stereogum sat down for an interview with him to talk about his choice to remove his music, and during the chat, Crosby said that he has no hope for any young musicians.

“Don’t become a musician” he told the publication when asked what advice he’d give younger artists. “You know how shitty it is for me to say that? You know how much I don’t want to say that? Some bright-eyed young kid who has talent. To the Becca Stevens and the Michelle Willises and the Michael Leagues of this world? To my own son James? I don’t want to say that to them, and it is the truth. I don’t hold out any hope for it at all,” he added.

Crosby went on to explain that even though he is still making music, he’s doing so for the enjoyment, rather than money.

“What James and I are doing, and what the Lighthouse Band are doing — we’re making records anyway, because we love making records and because we think music is a lifting force. You can quote me. I believe this hippie bullshit. I think music is a lifting force, and I think these are really hard times, and people need the lift. I’m making music because music makes things better and it makes people happier. That’s good enough for me. If I don’t get paid, I don’t get paid.”

During the same interview, Crosby said that he thinks all artists should remove their music from streaming platforms, because he believes that they aren’t fairly compensated for their work.

“With me, you have to understand — I don’t like Spotify. I don’t like any of the streamers, because they don’t pay us properly. Their proportion is wrong. They’re making billions with a b and they’re paying out pennies with a p. That’s not OK,” he said.