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Spotify removes Neil Young’s music after Rogan ultimatum
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Truth icon: Neil Young (left) has demanded Spotify in an open letter to remove his music from the streaming platform, accusing it of spreading vaccine disinformation through its deal with popular podcaster Joe Rogan. (AFP/Getty Images/Alice Chiche, Carmen Mandato)
N
eil Young has made good on his vow to have his music removed from Spotify after demanding that the streaming service choose between him and Joe Rogan, the controversial podcaster accused of disinformation.
The prolific legendary singer behind "Heart of Gold" and "Harvest Moon" published an open letter this week accusing Spotify of "spreading fake information about vaccines, potentially causing death" by putting out Rogan's podcast, which racks up millions of listens.
On Wednesday, he published a second letter on his website, thanking his record company, Warner's Reprise Records, for its support "in the name of truth”.
He also said Spotify accounted for 60 percent of his music's global streaming income.
Young has deemed the stand worth it: "Spotify has become the home of life-threatening COVID-19 misinformation," he wrote. "Lies being sold for money.
"I realized I could not continue to support Spotify's life-threatening misinformation to the music-loving public."
Young’s music was expected to come down within hours on Wednesday evening, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported that the removal was confirmed.
Young had 2.4 million followers and over 6 million monthly listeners on the popular streaming platform.
Rogan has a multi-year exclusive deal with Spotify, reportedly to the tune of $100 million, and a massive following.
But critics say his podcast is a platform for peddling conspiracy theories and disinformation, particularly over COVID-19.
Rogan has discouraged vaccination in young people and promoted the off-label use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat the virus.
In a statement made widely available across US media on Wednesday, Spotify said: "We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we've removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify," the service said, "but hope to welcome him back soon."
Young's move follows the December 2021 publication of an open letter from 270 doctors, physicians and professors to Spotify, asking the service to "moderate misinformation on its platform”.
"It is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform," read the letter.
This is not the first time the "Rockin' In The Free World" singer has removed his music from Spotify. He also did so in 2015, citing sound quality issues.
In his latest missive, Young again blasted Spotify's sound, saying the company "continues to peddle the lowest quality in music production. So much for art”.
"But now that is in the past for me," he wrote, recommending a number of other platforms that streamed his music in high resolution.
"Soon, my music will live on in a better place."
