Spotify takes down Neil Young songs over Joe Rogan, #BoycottSpotify trends on Twitter
To get the Covid-19 vaccine or not to get the vaccine? Is it safe or is it just a government control method? The West has been grappling with the Covid vaccine tussle between pro-vaxxers and anti-vaxxers since the pandemic began.
For the unversed, anti-vaxxers are the people who believe that vaccinations do more harm than good and protest against mandatory vaccinations – even when a raging pandemic is killing millions and those protesting vaccines. The Western nations have been consumed with the debate.
So much so, that it encompasses every aspect of life. From Serbian Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic's visa struggle in Australia to now, audio streaming platform Spotify, everyone has been forced to pick a side.
Spotify is now in the dock in the latest controversy between pro and anti-vaxxers.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY?
Spotify, the world’s consistently popular music and podcast streaming platform was forced to choose between the songs of Canadian-American singer Neil Young and controversial podcaster Joe Rogan. Neil Young, in an open letter to his manager and his label, had asked his songs to be removed from the platform as he claimed that the service was spreading vaccine misinformation through its No 1 podcast show ‘The Joe Rogan Experience'.
Young said that Spotify can have either his songs or Rogan; ‘not both’.
SPOTIFY'S RESPONSE PUTS IT IN A SPOT
Following Neil Young’s request, his label asked Spotify to remove his songs from the platform and the streaming platform obliged. In other words, Spotify chose Joe Rogan over Neil Young. According to reports, the streaming platform has started removing Neil Young’s songs.
The Wall Street Journal reported Spotify’s response, “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.”
The spokesperson also said that the company has removed over 20,000 Covid-related podcast episodes for violating policies since the start of the pandemic.
WHO ARE JOE ROGAN AND NEIL YOUNG?
Joe Rogan is an American commentator who one can safely describe as the ‘flag bearer of conspiracy theories’. He’s also the same guy who gave space on his platform to controversial American virologist Dr Robert Malone who claimed that Uttar Pradesh beat Covid-19 with a ‘secret’ cocktail of drugs, which the Indian government refused to reveal when US President Joe Biden asked for the secret strategy.
Not only Covid-19 vaccines, but Joe Rogan’s podcast has also been known to voice anti-climate change views, defend patriarchy and claim that white privilege isn’t real.
Neil Young, on the other hand, is a 76-year-old American-Canadian singer. He is nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Grunge’. However, Young is not as popular today as modern-day pop stars in the US. He was popular during the 70s.
He’s also the singer who sued former US President Donald Trump in 2020 for using his music at political rallies without his permission.
YOUNG AND ROGAN’S STAKES AT SPOTIFY
On Spotify, Neil Young had 2.4 million followers and over 6 million monthly listeners. 60% of the streaming of Young’s listeners came from Spotify. So, with this development, Young and those who invested in his music lose the royalties that came from Spotify.
On the other hand, Spotify had entered a $100 million deal with Joe Rogan only in 2020. Rogan had brought his show exclusively to Spotify following the deal. Spotify intends to bring more podcasters and listeners onto its platform with the help of Joe Rogan's show.
It is not the first time either that Spotify is facing calls to deboard Rogan from its platform. Earlier in January 2022, a group of 270 healthcare professionals and scientists wrote an open letter to Spotify asking it to remove Joe Rogan’s podcast for spreading Covid-19 misinformation.
Neil Young has called on other artists to move from Spotify and support his protest against the platform’s deadly misinformation campaign on Covid-19. Netizens pointed out that to make Spotify throw out Joe Rogan, it would take a Taylor Swift or an Adele to give an ultimatum.
Netizens are calling for boycotting Spotify over its decision.
However, it needs to be noted that the likes of Joe Rogan continue to spread Covid misinformation on several other platforms too. Joe Rogan is active on Twitter, YouTube and elsewhere. What decision will these platforms take?