Spotify agrees to remove Neil Young’s music over Joe Rogan dispute

Spotify mentioned Wednesday that it has agreed to take away Neil Younger’s music after the famed singer-songwriter mentioned he wouldn’t share the platform with podcaster Joe Rogan, who has been criticized for spreading vaccine misinformation.

“They’ll have Rogan or Younger. Not each,” Younger, 76, mentioned in an open letter to his supervisor and document label that was posted to his Neil Younger Archives web site on Monday, in accordance with Rolling Stone. NBC Information has not seen the unique publish, and it’s unclear why it was faraway from Younger’s web site.

A Spotify spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion that the corporate agreed to take away Younger’s work, although it was nonetheless accessible to customers Wednesday afternoon. Spotify mentioned it regrets Younger’s determination however hopes “to welcome him again quickly.”

“We would like all of the world’s music and audio content material to be accessible to Spotify customers,” the streaming service mentioned. “With that comes nice duty in balancing each security for listeners and freedom for creators. We’ve detailed content material insurance policies in place and we’ve eliminated over 20,000 podcast episodes associated to COVID-19 for the reason that begin of the pandemic.”

The “Coronary heart of Gold” singer’s catalog spans greater than 5 many years, from his 1969 self-titled album to his most up-to-date document, 2021’s “Barn.” A consultant for Younger didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Younger known as out “The Joe Rogan Expertise” in his letter and the hazard of Spotify enabling the distribution of probably deadly misinformation.

“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted solely on Spotify … has great affect,” Younger mentioned. “Spotify has a duty to mitigate the unfold of misinformation on its platform.”

Rogan, identified for his contrarian and infrequently baseless views on medication, has confronted widespread backlash for questioning vaccine security through the pandemic. He signed a take care of Spotify in 2020 that will earn him greater than $100 million, relying on efficiency.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, known as out Rogan final 12 months over Rogan’s feedback saying he didn’t consider younger individuals must be vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus.

“Effectively that’s incorrect, and the explanation why is you’re speaking about your self in a vacuum then,” Fauci instructed Savannah Guthrie on the “TODAY” present.

Earlier this month, when YouTuber Ethan Klein publicly criticized Rogan’s statements on Covid-19 misinformation, Rogan’s followers flooded Klein with fatphobic and antisemitic remarks.

YouTube took down a current episode of “The Joe Rogan Expertise” for violating the platform’s group tips, which forbid misinformation associated to elections, Covid-19 and vaccines.

CORRECTION (Jan. 26, 2022, 5:47 p.m. ET): A earlier model of this text misstated the 12 months that Joe Rogan signed his take care of Spotify. The deal was reached in 2020, not 2021.