
It turned out Neil Young was just the first domino.
The Canadian-American singer, one of the most celebrated artists of all time, pulled his vast catalogue from streaming service Spotify last week, and others have followed suit.
Joni Mitchell was the next big name to do so, announcing she stood in solidarity with Young. Among others boycotting the platform is author and podcast host Brené Brown.
The controversy has even brought out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have expressed concerns over COVID-19 misinformation on Spotify.
ICYMI: the decision by Young, 76, came after he criticised Spotify's support of Fear Factor host-turned-podcaster Joe Rogan, who Young accused of spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on the platform. At the time of writing, the only Young music that remains are songs that appear in past compilation and soundtrack albums.
"They can have Rogan or Young. Not both," Young wrote in a now-deleted letter on his website.
On January 26, Spotify announced it had agreed to remove his catalogue.
"We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users," the streaming service said.
"With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. 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," it said in a statement.
The company said it regrets Young's decision, but hopes "to welcome him back soon."
The Joe Rogan problem.
On January 24, Young wrote an open letter on his website alleging that "Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them".
"I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform," he continued.
Young's issue is with The Joe Rogan Experience, by far the platform's biggest podcast. In 2020, host Joe Rogan signed an exclusivity deal worth (US)$100 million, depending on performance.
Young's strong views on viruses and vaccination are hinted at in his 2012 autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, where he recalls contracting polio as a five-year-old, before the vaccine, which helped eliminate polio from most of the world, was widely available.
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