Neil Young's Spotify boycott over Joe Rogan content backed by WHO director-general
The 'Ohio' singer accused the streamer of spreading false information about vaccines via Rogan's podcast
Neil Young has a big supporter in his Spotify boycott.
Earlier this week, the famed rocker wrote an open letter to the streamer, threatening to remove his music from the platform. He blamed Spotify for spreading false information about COVID-19 vaccines via Joe Rogan's podcast.
"They can have Rogan or Young. Not both," he wrote in the letter. Spotify has since removed the artist's music.
On Thursday, the "Heart of Gold" singer's boycott of the platform was praised by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
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".@NeilYoungNYA, thanks for standing up against misinformation and inaccuracies around #COVID19 vaccination," Ghebreyesus wrote on Twitter. "Public and private sector, in particular #socialmedia platforms, media, individuals - we all have a role to play to end this pandemic and infodemic."
A spokesperson for Spotify told the Wall Street Journal that they had removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, in accordance with their detailed content policies.
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"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," they said, later adding: "We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon."
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Spotify is noted for its 2020 deal with Rogan that saw the immensely popular streaming service become the sole home of the comedian's controversial podcast.
After his music was removed, Young, 76, shared a thank you note to his team on his website.
In the letter, he thanked Warner Bros. and Universal Music, as well as management company Hipgnosis for supporting his Spotify boycott. The musician noted that the move was "costly," but ultimately is "worth it for our integrity and our beliefs."
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"Misinformation about COVID is over the line," he said in the note, published on Wednesday.