Tag: neil young

Neil Young appears to have redirected his anger after previously going after Joe Rogan for spreading what he believes to be COVID-19 misinformation.

The rocker posted an open letter, which has since been deleted, to his management and record label that demanded his music be taken off of Spotify – this was in protest to The Joe Rogan Experience appearing on the platform.

Since then, Rogan has been hit with a fresh controversy after a compilation of the UFC commentator using the N-word went viral.

Rogan has since apologized for using the racial slur and the Spotify CEO seems to be happy with that. Daniel Ek recently told his employees that despite being appalled by Rogan’s choice of language he would remain on the platform as “silencing” the popular podcaster is not the answer.

“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek said. “And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”

“We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress,” Ek wrote. He said he was “deeply sorry” for the impact the controversy was having on Spotify’s workforce.

A day later, Young has reacted to the above by taking aim at Ek and calling for Spotify employees to leave the company as soon as possible.

“To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem—not Joe Rogan,” Young’s message read via FOX Business. “Ek pulls the strings. Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers—not art, not creativity.”

Do you think Neil Young has a point?

Just days after Canadian music icon Neil Young forced Spotify with an ultimatum to choose between keeping him or Joe Rogan on the platform, the digital streaming giant has made it clear that their loyalty resides with Rogan.

Earlier this week, the ‘Old Man’ singer told Spotify that they could have “Young or Rogan, not both.” The demand circles back to reports that Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience has been spreading vaccine misinformation through having unqualified guests on the program.

Before the removal of his catalogue, Young had over six million monthly listeners on the streaming service which represents around 60 percent of his total digital audience. Young encouraged his fans to stream his music from one of a number of other platforms available including Apple Music and Amazon Music. He also thanked his record label, Warner Music Group for their support of him fighting for his beliefs.

With this, Young can of course no longer collect royalties for his music on the platform. This is something that’s sure to come with a financial hit as, throughout the pandemic, nostalgic listening was reported to be up over 70 percent.

Joe Rogan Experience Accused Of Spreading Vaccine Misinformation

The longtime UFC play-by-play announcer is arguably the most impactful figure on Spotify after signing a 100 million dollar deal to exclusively stream his podcast on the platform in 2020 and this isn’t the first time in recent memory that Rogan’s popular show sparked controversy among the masses. 

Earlier this month, a group of 270 scientists and medical professionals penned an open letter to the streaming service requesting they take action against the spread of mass misinformation on their platform.  

The podcast brings in an average of 11 million listeners per episode making it the world’s most popular podcast. While Spotify currently has no written policies against spreading misinformation related to COVID-19, they have addressed a responsibility to mitigate this type of talk on their platform.

Did Spotify make the right decision in siding with Joe Rogan over Neil Young?

Neil Young has threatened to remove all his music from Spotify unless they de-platform Joe Rogan, who he has accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

Young posted an open letter, which has since been deleted, to his management and record label that demanded his music be taken off of 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,” Young wrote. “Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.”

“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” Young added. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”

Young previously removed his music from the platform in 2019, claiming the sounds quality on the service was too low. The musician later backtracked and put his music on back on Spotify.

Neil Young Joins The Long List Of People Coming For Joe Rogan

Rogan was recently targeted by a  270-strong coalition of doctors, physicians and scientists co-signed an open letter to Spotify accusing the UFC commentator of spreading misinformation on his podcast.

“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” the letter reads. “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”

Do you think Spotify will side with Neil Young or Joe Rogan?