Nils Lofgren: Bruce Springsteen's guitarist removes music on Spotify over Joe Rogan row
On Saturday, American rock musician and recording artist Nils Lofgren announced that he'd be removing his music from Spotify to protest the vaccine misinformation spread by Joe Rogan's podcast. Lofgren revealed that he has taken "the last 27 years" of his music off Spotify. He has also asked his previous record labels to remove the songs from the platform.
The controversial episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, featuring guest Dr. Robert Malone, received a lot of backlash for spreading false information. A group of over 200 doctors and healthcare workers even wrote an open letter to Spotify expressing their disappointment.
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Musician Neil Young removed his music from Spotify earlier last week. Lofgren, who is a friend of Young, issued a statement through his newsletter that read, "A few days ago, my wife Amy and I became aware of Neil and Daryl standing with hundreds of health care professionals, scientists, doctors and nurses in calling out Spotify for promoting lies and misinformation that are hurting and killing people. When these heroic women and men, who’ve spent their lives healing and saving ours, cry out for help you don’t turn your back on them for money and power. You listen and stand with them."
The statement further added, "Neil and I go back 53 years. Amy and I are honored and blessed to call Neil and Daryl friends, and knew standing with them was the right choice. We encourage all musicians, artists and music lovers everywhere, to stand with us all, and cut ties with Spotify. Music is our planet's sacred weapon, uniting and healing billions of souls every day. Pick up your sword and start swinging."
"The exodus of rock legends from Spotify began after Young, 76, posted a since-deleted letter on Tuesday that took aim at Rogan, who signed an exclusive $100 million deal with Spotify in May 2020, which gave the streaming service exclusive rights to his popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience," reports Daily Mail.
Who is Nils Lofgren?
Nils Lofgren is an American rock musician, recording artist, and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, the 70-year-old is a multi-instrumentalist. Alongside being a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984. Lofgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.
A competitive gymnast in high school, Lofgren studied classical music and jazz in his youth but shifted his focus to rock music, piano, and the guitar later on. In 1968, Lofgren formed the band Grin, which disbanded in 1974.
He joined Bruce Springsteen's backing band, the E Street Band in 1984 and has been a member ever since. Due to the pandemic, the band could not host a tour, but Springsteen has said he hopes to tour with the band in 2022.