Neil Young has demanded that his music be removed from Spotify in protest at its Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which has been accused of spreading misinformation around COVID-19.It follows a recent open letter signed by more than 250 scientists and medics that stated that the Spotify exclusive podcast has “a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic”.That letter insisted that Spotify itself – as the distributor of the podcast – has responsibility here, because by distributing Joe Rogan’s tedious ramblings it is helping to “damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals”.Echoing a number of the specific criticisms contained in that letter, earlier this week Young penned his own note on the matter.
Posted to – but subsequently removed from – the musician’s website, Young’s note addressed his manager Frank Gironda and the boss of his label, Tom Corson at Warner Records.He wrote: “With an estimated eleven million listeners per episode, JRE – which is hosted exclusively on Spotify – is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence.
Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.
I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform … They can have Rogan or Young.
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