Spotify removes Neil Young’s music after he objects to Joe Rogan’s podcast

By Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR Culture Correspondent

Spotify has removed famed singer-songwriter Neil Young’s recordings from its streaming platform.

On Monday, Young had briefly posted an open letter on his own website, asking his management and record label to remove his music from the streaming giant, as a protest against the platform’s distribution of podcaster Joe Rogan. Rogan has been widely criticized for spreading misinformation about coronavirus vaccines on his podcast, which is now distributed exclusively on Spotify.

Late Wednesday, the musician posted two lengthy statements on his website, one addressing the catalyst of his request and the other thanking his industry partners.

In the first, he wrote in part: “I first learned of this problem by reading that 200-plus doctors had joined forces, taking on the dangerous life-threatening COVID falsehoods found in Spotify programming. Most of the listeners hearing the unfactual, misleading and false COVID information of Spotify are 24 years old, impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth. These young people believe Spotify would never present grossly unfactual information. They unfortunately are wrong. I knew I had to try to point that out.”

As of last week, more than 1,000 doctors, scientists and health professionals had signed that open letter to Spotify.

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