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Spotify picks anti-vaxxer Joe Rogan over Neil Young, fans say ‘turn to Apple Music’

Adhering to his request, Spotify pulled out Neil’s music from their platform which quickly led to chaos on the Internet

A day after iconic folk singer Neil Young gave Spotify the ultimatum of removing his music, the streaming giant agreed to his request and decided to pull out all his songs from the streaming platform. The Toronto singer had accused Spotify of giving an undeserved platform to anti-vaxxer Joe Rogan and his COVID-19 vaccine “misinformation.” In the now-deleted letter shared on his website, the singer had added, “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines.”
 
Adhering to Neil's request, Spotify removed his music from their platform which quickly led to chaos on the Internet as many slammed the streaming giant for choosing the anti-vaxxer over Young. Apple Music then too secured one of the trending spots on Twitter as a majority of social media users claimed to move to Apple’s streaming platform instead of sticking to Spotify. The latter has been facing heat after they decided not to ban Rogan’s podcast after a controversial appearance by Dr Robert Malone on the show.
 
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 Spotify picks anti-vaxxer Joe Rogan over Neil Young

In an official statement to The Washington Post, a spokesman for Spotify said, “We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. “The statement added, “We have detailed content policies in place and we've removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon." 

What did Neil Young say?

The 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. In his now-deleted statement, the 76-year-old crooner stated, "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”, adding, "Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.”

‘This is just embarrassing'

Reacting to Spotify removing Young’s music, one user stated, “I used to be a Neil Young fan, but this is just embarrassing.” Another stated, “Neil Young shouldn't have left it to Spotify to choose, he should've removed his music and gave the reason. Neil will be remembered much longer than any of us including Joe Rogan, but Rogan is the main source of everyone's revenue right now, so this was only going to end 1 way.” The next one added, “It’s great to see that Spotify cares more about profit than virtue signaling. Also who the f**k is Neil Young?”
 
Meanwhile, one individual tweeted, “No. Financially currently, it makes perfect sense. The rub is if more musicians choose to do the same, than they may regret it. However, even though Neil young's work is rather amazing, it's likely less listened to so less profitable.” Another shared, “I am just checking out Apple Music as an alternative. Cost is the same with more music and less idiots like Roegan.” One posted, “Spotify, profits over lives. Disgraceful beyond belief. Turn to Apple Music or other services. Boycott these greedy people. Hey, hey, my my, Rock and Roll and Neil Young will never die!” Another, on similar lines, shared, “Apple Music has taken the lead on this- but there is so much room for growth. Let’s build something Neil Young wants to come back to.” And, one concluded, “If Taylor Swift, Drake, and Billie Eilish all demanded to be pulled, Spotify would cave in day. But they shouldn't have to be Spotify's ethical center when someone is encouraging 11 million listeners to be anti-science.”