Neil Young tells Spotify employees to leave before company ‘eats up your soul’
Spotify said it would soon add a warning to all podcasts that discuss COVID-19
Neil Young, the rocker who has been vocal in his criticism of Spotify for allowing Joe Rogan to promote what he sees as COVID-19 misinformation, posted on his website that employees there should leave before the company eats their souls.
Young was evidently unimpressed with the letter that Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify Technology SA, sent to employees that attempted to strike a balance by supporting his top star while acknowledging employee concerns about how the podcast impacts them. Besides allegations of spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Rogan faced new criticism for using the N-word in the past.
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Neil Young attends a press conference for Farm Aid 34 at Alpine Valley Music Theatre on September 21, 2019 in East Troy, Wisconsin. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images) (Gary Miller/Getty Images)
"To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem—not Joe Rogan," Young’s message read. "Ek pulls the strings. Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers—not art, not creativity."
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Young and India.Arie, and Joni Mitchell are a few of the artists who pulled their work from the streaming service in protest. Spotify reportedly paid $100 million to exclusively host Rogan’s podcast, which now threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company’s strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio.
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Daniel Ek, co-founder and chief executive officer of Spotify Technology SA, on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In his letter, Ek announced an investment of $100 million to license, develop and market "music and audio content from historically marginalized groups," without giving more details.
Spotify said it would soon add a warning to all podcasts that discuss COVID-19, directing listeners to factual, up-to-date information from scientists and public health experts.
Young also informed followers that he would be moving money from top U.S. banks because they continue to fund the fossil fuel industry. He posted that people should "ditch the misinformers."
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"Find a good clean place to support with your monthly checks. You have the real power. Use it," he said.
Former President Trump issued a statement late Monday and told Rogan that he should stop apologizing because it will never be enough to satisfy his top critics.
Fox News' Lawrence Richard and the Associated Press contributed to this report