Spotify which decided to take off Young’s catalogue from its platform,
has since come under intense criticism for supporting Rogan, who hosts one of its most commercially popular podcasts.
What did Young say?
“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” he wrote in a letter to his record company and management team.
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines- potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” he added.
Young wasn’t alone
Earlier this month 270 scientists and medical professionals issued an open letter to Spotify, urging it to establish a misinformation policy after an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience promoted what they said were “baseless conspiracy theories” about the pandemic, according to a Bloomberg report.
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The program featured Rober Malone, a doctor who has called himself the “inventor” of mRNA vaccines. Malone was banned from Twitter for circulating anti-vaccine misinformation. YouTube deleted a recording of the Rogan podcast shortly after it was uploaded to the website by a third party, the report added.
Rogan and history of misinformation
The ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ is Spotify’s most popular podcast. The steaming site struck a deal with Rogan in 2020 with more than $100 million.
Since the start of the pandemic, Spotify has removed 20,000 podcast episodes containing Covid misinformation. It has deleted more than 40 episodes of Rogan’s podcast- which has an estimated 11 million listeners.
Rogan has already drawn criticism for spreading misinformation about Covid-19 on his podcast. In response he said that he’s not anti-vaccine and wasn’t presenting himself as an expert: “I’m not a respected source of information even for me. But I at least try to be honest about what I’m saying.”
Singer Joni Mitchell plans to follow Neil Young
Joni Mitchell said on Friday that she would remove her music from Spotify, joining Young in his protest against the streaming service over its role in giving a platform to Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.
Mitchell, a singer-songwriter, posted a brief statement on her website Friday saying that she would remove her music from the streaming service. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” she wrote. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
Her statement adds fuel to a small but growing revolt over Spotify, with few major artists speaking out but fans commenting widely on social media. While few other major artists have spoken out so far, Young’s stance has resonated widely with fans. Twitter was dotted with the announcements of listeners saying they were cancelling their subscriptions.
Young moves to Amazon Music
After pulling his catalogue from Spotify, the Grammy winner reached out to Amazon Music on Thursday to make sure his fans had access to his music.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Young’s fans will now be able to get a free four-month subscription to Amazon Music using a link created specifically for the Canadian-American singer. The offer will be available for a week, beginning on Friday.
“Amazon has been leading the pack in bringing Hi-Res audio to the masses, and it’s a great place to enjoy my entire catalog in the highest quality available,” the artist said on Friday.
With inputs from agencies.
