Neil Young reluctantly has his catalogue on Spotify, but now the artist wants it pulled again. In a since-deleted letter to his management team and record label, he demands they remove his music from the streaming service because "Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines - potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them."
He targets Spotify because of its exclusive deal with podcaster Joe Rogan, who has helped fuel this anti-vaccine movement. "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform," he continued. "They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both."
Rogan is accused of continuously peddling misinformation about vaccines on The Joe Rogan Experience. Last month, 270 doctors, physicians, and science educators signed an open letter asking Spotify to stop spreading Rogan's baseless claims.
"With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world's largest podcast and has tremendous influence," the letter reads. "Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy."
This isn't the first time the streaming service has come under heavy criticism over its relationship with Rogan. It has been heavily criticized since the deal was made for controversies over his penchant to make transphobic remarks and host guests critical of the transgender community.
We don't know if Neil Young's threat will inspire more public pressure, but it draws attention to the company's lax attitude towards handling misinformation.