Neil Young has handed Spotify an ultimatum: remove vaccine misinformation or stand to lose the Neil Young catalogue.
The 76 year old Young made the demands in an open letter posted to his website. However, the letter has since been taken down. In it, Young called out the popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, for spreading “fake information about vaccines—potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.”
He did not mince words in making his demands. “[Spotify] can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Young requested that his management and record label act to remove his music from Spotify. There are a lot of lucrative vested interests at play, which is probably why the letter is no longer visible.
The Joe Rogan Experience is released exclusively via Spotify, the outcome of a USD$100m deal the comedian signed with the streaming giant in 2020. Medical professionals have been campaigning for Spotify to remove or monitor Rogan’s podcast, claiming Rogan has a history of airing COVID misinformation and promoting unproven treatments.
One episode in particular that doctors want removed features an interview with Dr. Robert Malone, who was previously banned from Twitter for sharing Covid-19 misinformation.
Young’s music is still available on Spotify. His latest album, Barn (made with Crazy Horse), came out in December 2021.
