Spotify removes Neil Young's music following Joe Rogan row
What's the story
After singer Neil Young posted on his website he doesn't want Spotify to stream his music anymore, the platform has announced it will no longer do the same. This comes a day after Young expressed, in a now-deleted post, that he doesn't want to be associated with the platform following the Joe Rogan row. The company reportedly took this decision to honor Young's request.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Rogan has been accused of peddling misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on his Spotify podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. According to Rolling Stone, in his post, Young wrote, "Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines - potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them." Thus, he asked his manager and record label to get his music removed from Spotify.
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'We hope to welcome him back soon'
Confirming that Spotify was removing Young's music, a spokesperson for the platform said they, however, hope to soon welcome him back. "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, but hope to welcome him back soon," said the spokesperson.
Information
Here's what happened with Rogan's podcast
Several false, scientifically inaccurate claims about the COVID-19 pandemic were reportedly made on Rogan's podcast. Earlier this month, a group of over 250 scientists, doctors, nurses, and educators condemned the spread of misinformation on the podcast. They penned an open letter to Spotify, urging it to warn its listeners and moderate misinformation on the platform so as to not mislead users with false information.
Details
Rogan's podcast is Spotify's most popular
Rogan had received backlash for hosting a controversial infectious disease specialist—who opposes COVID-19 vaccines for children—on his podcast. However, Rogan is "one of the most consumed media products on the planet," according to the New York Times. Also, The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify's most popular podcast. To recall, Spotify signed a $100mn deal with Rogan in 2020, bagging exclusive rights to his show.