27th January, 2022
Music streaming service Spotify is being dumped by subscribers after it struck off Neil Young’s music, following the singer’s objection to Joe Rogan’s podcast, sharing the same platform with him.
Twitter showed many subscribers identifying with Young as they cancelled their subscriptions. On Thursday, #Goodbye Spotify was trending.
One of the people dumping the service is John Lee. He tweeted:
“I’m just one person, and my few measly dollars won’t matter all that much to a giant corporation. But those few measly dollars are MY measly few dollars. And I’m going to use them as a way to give the finger to any corporation that acts like an asshole. Goodbye, Spotify!
Mark Johnson also wrote: Apparently .@Spotify is choosing this clown of #COVID19 misinformation over rock legend #NeilYoung. So be it.. Goodbye #Spotify”.
“Seriously, Spotify, Joe Rogan over Neil Young?. Shame on you. Goodbye, spotify,”, said Mark Huffhines.
CajunBlueAZ @CajunBlueAZ1 added: “I got rid of cable because of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox empire. I did not hesitate to dump Spotify. I will not contribute to misinformation spreaders. In a world of Claptons, I’ll stand with Neil Young – every time.”
Young had released a letter earlier this week addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group (WMG.O), demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music because he said Rogan spreads misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
On Wednesday, the “Heart of Gold” and “Rocking In the Free World” singer thanked his record label for “standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify,” and he encouraged other musicians to do the same.
“Spotify has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation,” he said on his website. “Lies being sold for money.”
The Swedish company said it worked to balance “both safety for listeners and freedom for creators” and had removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related COVID-19 in accordance with its “detailed content policies.”
“We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon,” Spotify said in a statement.
Rogan, 54, is the host of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program.
He has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast.
Young, 76, said Spotify accounted for 60% of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world.
The removal is “a huge loss for my record company to absorb,” he said.