Game over (for now) for Neil Young. After his short standoff against Spotify, the singer apparently lost, since the platform decided to withdraw his music. The interpreter of Rockin’ in the Free World had announced on his site that the Swedish company had to make a choice between him (and his music, therefore) and Joe Rogan, the ultra-popular American podcaster, known for his statements against vaccination and his conspiracy theories on the Covid. “We want all of the world’s music and audio content to be accessible to Spotify users. This implies a great responsibility in the balance between the safety of the listeners and the freedom of the creators. We have detailed content policies in place and have removed over 20,000 Covid-related podcast episodes since the pandemic began. We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to be able to welcome him back soon,” a company spokesperson said, confirming the choice of platform. Neil Young was not the only one to denounce this association between the streaming giant and the podcast which brings together 11 million listeners per episode. Earlier this month, 270 scientists and doctors published an open letter to express their concern after the chain of fake news and misinformation on the pandemic relayed by Joe Rogan in his program. Spotify quickly weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, a music legend, with a career that spans six decades. On the other, the American podcaster with whom the platform signed an exclusive contract worth more than $100 million in 2020. 11 million listeners flock to each episode of Joe Rogan’s show, d ‘after the streaming service. Neil Young’s discography, which includes undisputed masterpieces such as Harvest, Harvest Moon, or Rust Never Sleeps, is listened to by 6 million listeners every month. Art and public health versus business. Clearly, business won out.
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