“We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast,” the statement read. “While we always value alternative points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don’t want our music — or the music we made together — to be on the same platform.”
In a movement that’s since caught on with other artists likeJoni Mitchell,Nils Lofgrenand India.Arie, Neil Young was the first to vocalize his feelings on the issue, giving Spotify an ultimatum last month that they either choose his music or Rogan’s podcast, which is Spotify’s top podcast.
“Most of the listeners hearing the unfactual, misleading and false COVID information on Spotify are 24 years old, impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth,” the musician wrote in aletter on his website. “These young people believe Spotify would never present grossly unfactual information. They unfortunately are wrong. I knew I had to try to point that out.”
Rogan, who has claimed he is not an anti-vaxxer, has discouraged vaccinations in young people and children, falsely claiming that mRNA vaccines are “gene therapy,” and promoting off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID, which the FDA has previously warned against.
Neil Young and Joe Rogan.getty (2)
Amid the criticism, Rogan said in an Instagram video that he would make more of an effort to"balance out" the controversial opinionson his show.
“My pledge to you is that I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so that we can maybe find a better point of view,” he said. “I don’t want to just show the contrary opinion to what the narrative is. I want to show all kinds of opinions so that we can all figure what’s going on…”
Still, during an earnings call on Wednesday, Elk said that Spotify would not “change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle, or calls from anyone else,” according toThe New York Times.
source: people.com
