NEW YORK: Neil Young has threatened to pull his music from the Spotify streaming service over his relationship with podcaster Joe Rogan, who the prolific singer-songwriter has accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19, according to media reports on Tuesday. accused of.
Young, who survived polio as a child, posted a letter on his website addressed to his manager and his record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer play his music. The letter was later removed.
“I want you to tell Spotify right away today that I want to take all my music off my platform. … They may have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young said in the letter, according to the Wall Street Journal. written.
The newspaper quoted 76-year-old Young as saying, “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially killing people who believe they are spreading misinformation.” Is.”
Rogan, 54, is the host of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which has exclusive rights to the program.
As of Tuesday, Young’s music, which included songs such as “Heart of Gold,” “Rocking in the Free World” and “Old Man,” was still available on the service, as was Rogan’s podcast.
Spotify, Warner Music Group and “The Joe Rogan Experience” did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Young’s representative could not be reached.
Rogan, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, has long courted controversy with his views on pandemics, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus. He has questioned the need for COVID-19 vaccines in his show and said that he used ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, which has no proven benefits against COVID.
In the letter, Young referred to an episode in which a Rogan guest was defying anti-vaccination theories, the Journal reported.
The newspaper said Young’s letter noted that Rogan’s podcast attracted 11 million listeners per episode and highlighted that Spotify lacks a misinformation policy.
Spotify debuted Rogan’s podcasts in September as part of its efforts to turn audio into Netflix. Rogan exercises complete creative control over the show.
Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed an open letter to Spotify calling for action against Rogan, accusing the podcast of spreading lies.
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