Neil Young
He carries out his threat against Spotify
Neil Young is at odds with Spotify.
© Ben Houdijk/Shutterstock
After Spotify failed to respond to his ultimatum, Neil Young had his music removed from the platform.
Large parts of Neil Young’s (76) music have disappeared from the streaming platform. The background is a dispute between the service and the musician about the comedian Joe Rogan (54). Young has accused him of spreading fake news about the coronavirus on his Spotify podcast.
Young called the podcast “lies sold for money” and this week threatened the platform with an ultimatum: “You can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” Now Young made good on his threat and had all of his music removed. Only individual songs and live albums are currently still available. Spotify said it regrets the decision but hopes to welcome Young back soon.
Young urges other musicians to follow him
According to Young, 60 percent of his streaming revenue comes from Spotify. Thanks on his website the rocker consults his label, which stands by him in the decision. He also hopes other musicians and companies will stop supporting Spotify’s “deadly misinformation about Covid”.
Last month, a group of 150 doctors wrote an open letter asking Spotify to immediately establish clear rules for dealing with fake news. Particular attention was drawn to Rogan’s “worrying story” when discussing the Covid 19 pandemic. He interviewed a virologist who criticized the administration of mRNA vaccines.
In 2020, Spotify reportedly paid $200 million for the rights to Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience podcast — the platform’s most popular podcast.