Spotify has removed Neil Young’s music after he accused the platform of spreading misinformation about Covid-19 through Joe Rogan’s podcast. In an open letter to the platform last week, Young wrote: “Take action against Joe Rogan over Covid misinformation spread via the popular podcast, or remove all of my music.”
“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. Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule,” Young wrote.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Spotify said it’s ‘honouring’ Young’s request. "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, but hope to welcome him back soon,” a Spotify spokesperson said.
Rogan has often been critical of Covid-19 vaccines and has promoted alternative medicines and treatment. He recently hosted medical doctor Robert Malone, who claimed Americans were being “hypnotised” into wearing masks and getting vaccines. After this, 270 members of the science and medical community wrote an open letter to Spotify, warning that allowing these claims to go unchecked would “damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt upon the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals”.
