In an open letter Young criticised Joe Rogan's podcast which is exclusively hosted on Spotify for spreading misinformation.
ADVERTISEMENTCountry singer Neil Young has blasted Spotify over their platforming of COVID misinformation.
The “Heart of Gold” singer used an open letter to harangue his manager, Frank Gironda, and Warner Brothers boss Tom Corson over views expressed on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast which is hosted on the streaming platform.
The letter which was posted on Young’s website before being taken down stated; “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” Young wrote.
“Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule… I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform…They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Earlier this month 270 doctors and scientists also signed an open letter to Spotify to lobby them over Rogan’s podcast, which has 11 million listeners per episode and is available exclusively on Spotify.
The medical professionals stated: “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
COVID conspiracies on popular podcast
The open letter from doctors specifically referenced an interview by Rogan with Dr Robert Malone, a virologist who was behind early research into the technology behind several COVID-19 vaccines. Malone is now a sceptic of vaccines.
Both men came under scrutiny for repeating the false assertion that hospitals are financially incentivised to falsely diagnose deaths as ‘caused by COVID’.
Malone also claimed the public had been ‘hypnotised’ into supporting vaccines by political leaders and drew parallels between the rise of the Nazis and the pandemic.
Rogan has clarified that he is "not an anti-vax person" and claims he has encouraged people to take the vaccine. The comedian's deal with Spotify, signed in 2020, is reportedly worth $100 million.
The comedian has courted controversy in the past for having right-wing figures with neo-Nazi affiliations on his podcast, some episodes of which have been removed from Spotify.
Spotify has yet to comment on Young’s letter.
