Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and classic rock icon Neil Young is demanding his management team and record label to remove him from Spotify.
“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,” wrote Young.
“I want you to let Spotify know immediately today that I want all of my music off their platform.”
Young’s reason? He’s sharing the platform with popular but controversial podcast personality Joe Rogan.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not Both.” Young added.
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast is exclusive on Spotify, “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode,” Young wrote. The “Rocking In The Free World” singer also added that Rogan’s podcast “is the world's largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” therefore, “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform.”
Previously, 270 doctors, physicians, and science educators signed an open letter asking Spotify to stop spreading Rogan’s baseless claims.
The open letter specifically mentioned one episode (# 1757) as being “criticized for promoting baseless conspiracy theories, and the JRE has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.” It added, “By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals.”