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Why does Neil Young want his music off Spotify? Pick 'Rogan or Young', says singer

'Spotify is spreading fake information,' writes Young, tells the streaming service to pick between him or Joe Rogan, 'not both'

Canadian-American singer and songwriter Niel Young appears to be done with Spotify. In an open letter published by his team, the legendary musician told the streaming service he wanted his music taken off their platform. The letter was briefly hosted on Young's website before being taken down but has already made waves and added to the pressure on the streaming service. 

Currently, Spotify is facing a lot of fury over its decision to keep Joe Rogan's podcast. In mid-January 2022, hundreds of doctors signed a letter to the service asking them to ban Rogan from the platform, after a controversial appearance by Dr Robert Malone on the show. It isn't the first time Rogan has hosted prominent anti-vaxxers, having previously featured Alex Jones and Tim Dillon. YouTuber Ethen Kein hit back at Rogan's anti-vax sentiments, only to be trolled by other anti-vaxxers, in another episode of this long battle. 

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At the heart of the issue, is Rogan's support for conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine sentiments, which have led to a sharp uptick in deaths in the USA from Covid-19. The anger against them is playing out in the streets, on TV, in newspapers, and all over social media. Spotify is just one of the many battlegrounds for his greatly contested topic.

Why does Neil Young want to be axed from Spotify?

It appears that the Rogan controversy has also caught the eyes of Young. Rolling Stone reported that Young specifically name-dropped Rogan in his letter to his manager Frank Gironda and Warner Bros. co-chairman and Chief Operating Officer Tom Corson. "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," he wrote, adding, "Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule."

Young then went on to attack Rogan, saying, "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have (Joe) Rogan or Young. Not both." Gironda told The Daily Beast that Young had indeed written the letter, saying, "It’s something that’s really important to Neil. He’s very upset about this disinformation." Shortly after the letter was uploaded on the website, it was taken down. Gironda told The Beast he was unsure why the letter was no longer visible but acknowledged that "We’re trying to figure this out right now." 

'Neil Young’s a real one'

At the time of reporting, it appears as if Young's music is still on Spotify. Whether or not it gets removed, the internet began to debate the move. Some users were quick to troll Young, with tweets like "Hmm, a singer who hasn't been relevant in 50 years...or their highest rated host who they just spent $100,000,000 on, whoever will they choose?" Another tweeted, "As much as I love Neil, I'll have to say, see you later." One user lamented, "So much for “keep on rocking in the free world."

Others though, defended Young, with one person saying, "In a world of Eric Claptons be a Neil Young," while another tweeted, "Neil Young’s a real one." One person commented, "Neil Young has always and will always stand for something."