Neil Young’s music being pulled from Spotify after ‘Rogan or Young’ comments: reports
This combination photo shows Neil Young in Calabasas, Calif., on May 18, 2016, left, and UFC announcer and podcaster Joe Rogan before a UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle on Dec. 7, 2012. Young fired off a public missive to his management on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, demanding that they remove his music from the popular streaming service Spotify in protest over Rogan’s popular podcast spreading misinformation about COVID-19. But by Tuesday afternoon, his letter had been removed from his website, “Heart of Gold” and other hits were still streaming. (AP Photo)
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(NEXSTAR) – Neil Young’s music is coming off of Spotify after the singer penned an open letter saying the streaming service could have Joe Rogan’s podcast or his music, “not both.”
On Monday, Young posted the letter to his website. While it has since been deleted, Rolling Stone reports Young called on his management team and record label to remove his songs and albums from the streaming service.
Young wrote, “Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.” He added that Spotify can have “[Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both,” Rolling Stone reports.
Spotify is now in the process of removing Young’s music, according to the Wall Street Journal and The Hollywood Reporter. It could take several hours for his work to be taken off of the platform.
As of 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Young’s music can still be found on Spotify. According to the streaming service, the “Heart of Gold” singer attracts more than 6 million monthly listeners.
Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” was the most listened to in the U.S. and worldwide in 2021.
Recently, 270 health care professionals signed an open letter to Spotify calling for the service to take action against the misinformation being shared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
“By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals,” the letter stated.
Health care professionals highlighted an episode featuring virologist Robert Malone, who they say promotes misinformation about COVID-19. This episode has been heavily criticized by many experts for remarks regarding the pandemic and how the coronavirus impacts people, especially those who are younger, The Hill reports.
One of the doctors who signed the letter, Dr. Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, told “On Balance” that they were not calling for censorship or removal of the podcast. Instead, they want Spotify to create a policy on how to moderate misinformation.
Young’s label – Warner Records – and Spotify did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s requests for comment.
