He did not want to be present on a platform that spreads misinformation about the corona virus: With this demand, the folk rock star Neil Young put Spotify under pressure. Now the company reacted and took the Canadian’s music out of its program.
“We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon,” the streaming service said in a statement on Wednesday (local time), which the Wall Street Journal and other US media read quoted.
Young had previously accused the Swedish company of spreading misinformation about coronavirus vaccines in podcasts, for example.
The 76-year-old musician (Heart of Gold, Rockin’ in the Free World, Harvest Moon “) on his website.
Spotify accounts for about 60 percent of his music streamed worldwide, so the decision means a big loss for his record company. “In the name of truth” he took this step. In addition, his pieces can be heard on other platforms. Young is listed on Spotify with around six million monthly listeners.
Also read: Neil Young threatens streaming giant Spotify with withdrawing from the platform
In an open letter that later disappeared from the website, Young directed his criticism at the extremely popular podcast by US comedian Joe Rogan. “You can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” wrote the legendary singer-guitarist, who says he’s self-vaccinated.
In another open letter to Spotify, a group of 270 scientists and health experts accused comedian Rogan of downplaying the corona virus and spreading conspiracy theories.
Spotify wants to make all music and audio content accessible to its users, the streaming giant said in a statement. “That comes with a huge responsibility when it comes to striking a balance between safety for listeners and freedom for creators.” The company has comprehensive content policies and has more than 20,000 related podcast episodes since the pandemic began removed from the offer on Corona.