NEW YORK (AP) — Following protests against Spotify sparked by Neil Young over the spread of false information about the COVID-19 vaccine, the streaming service announced Sunday that it will add content notices to the beginning of podcasts that talk about the virus.
In a post, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek outlined more transparent rules for the platform, following criticism from Young, who pulled his music from Spotify on Wednesday after the tech giant refused to remove episodes of the show. “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, which has been criticized for spreading false information about the virus.
“Personally, there are many individuals and opinions on Spotify that I absolutely disagree with,” Ek wrote. “It is important to me that we do not take the position of censoring content while ensuring that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”
Ek said the ads will direct the user to Spotify’s verified COVID-19 news hub in what he described as “a new effort to combat misinformation.” It will go live in the next few days, Ek said. He did not specifically refer to Rogan or Young.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who have signed a multi-year deal to produce and host podcasts on Spotify under their production company Archewell Audio, asked the platform on Sunday to control the false information about the virus.
Also Sunday, Nils Lofgren, Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist and Crazy Horse member and a frequent Young collaborator, said he was joining Young’s revolt on Spotify. Lofgren noted that he had already retired the last 27 years of his music and asked the labels with his previous music to do the same.
