North American folk legends take action against Covid misinformation. After Neil Young earlier this week, country singer Joni Mitchell announced on Friday that she was removing her music from Spotify due to “lies” related to Covid-19 disclosed on the streaming platform. “I have decided to remove all my music from Spotify”, wrote on his site the interpreter of Big Yellow Taxi, in support of his colleague in his fight against the podcast of popular and controversial American host Joe Rogan.
“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue,” explained the 78-year-old Canadian, who has 3.7 million subscribers on the platform. The Swedish platform did not react.
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Neil Young had confirmed on Wednesday his dramatic decision to remove his music from Spotify. The American-Canadian singer has 2.4 million subscribers and more than six million listeners per month on Spotify, the world leader in music streaming. But Joe Rogan’s podcast, exclusive content from the platform, which accumulates millions of plays, was number 1 on Spotify in 2021.
“Creative freedom”
“Spotify has become a place for potentially deadly Covid misinformation. Lies sold for money,” pointed out Neil Young, whose gesture was applauded by the boss of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Joe Rogan, whose contract signed with Spotify last year is estimated at $100 million, is accused of discouraging young people from vaccination and pushing the use of an unauthorized treatment, the ivermectin, against the virus.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” said Neil Young, whose latest album, “Barn”, was released at the end of 2021. The career-long singer said he hoped other artists and record labels would follow suit.
Through the voice of a spokesperson, Spotify regretted the departure of Neil Young, but highlighted the balance between “listener safety and creative freedom”.