Online streaming service Spotify announced Wednesday that it is removing the content of veteran rock star Neil Young after the Canadian musician released an ultimatum objecting to his music playing on the same platform that includes the popular podcast of Joe Rogan, whom Young accuses of spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
Earlier this week, Young had released a letter addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music, taking a stand against Rogan spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
On Wednesday, the "Heart of Gold" and "Rocking In the Free World" singer thanked his record label for "standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify," and he encouraged other musicians to do the same.
"Spotify has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation," he said on his website. "Lies being sold for money."
Young said that many of Spotify's listeners are hearing misleading information about COVID-19, arguing that many are young, "impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth."
"These young people believe Spotify would never present grossly unfactual information," he said. "They unfortunately are wrong. I knew I had to try to point that out."
The Swedish company said it worked to balance "both safety for listeners and freedom for creators" and had removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 in accordance with its "detailed content policies."
The company says it has a team of experts that reviews content, which is removed if the information presented can cause harm or pose a direct threat to public health. False suggestions that injecting bleach could fight the virus, that COVID-19 wasn't real or that vaccines could be deadly were among those removed from the platform.
"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon," Spotify said in a statement. It wasn't immediately clear when his music will actually be taken down.
Rogan, 54, is the host of "The Joe Rogan Experience," the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program. Rogan has a multi-year exclusive deal with Spotify, reportedly to the tune of $100 million, and a massive following.
Rogan has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus. He has discouraged vaccination in young people and promoted the off-label use of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin to treat the virus.
Last month the comedian interviewed Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist who has become a hero in the anti-vaccine community. Malone has been banned from Twitter for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and has falsely suggested that millions of people have been hypnotized into believing that the vaccines work to prevent serious disease.
Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast. "It is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform," read the letter.
Young, 76, said Spotify accounted for 60% of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world. Young had 2.4 million followers and had more than 6 million monthly listeners, according to his Spotify home page. The removal is "a huge loss for my record company to absorb," he said.
It's not the first time Young has removed his music from Spotify. In 2015 he did so after citing sound-quality issues. In his latest missive, Young again blasted Spotify's sound, saying the company "continues to peddle the lowest quality in music production. So much for art."
"But now that is in the past for me," he wrote, recommending a number of other platforms that stream his music in high-resolution.
"Soon my music will live on in a better place."