A couple of days ago, Neil Young demanded his music be taken down from Spotify, refusing to be a part of an app that spreads false information about Covid. “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.¨ He is referring to ¨The Joe Rogan Experience,¨ a Spotify exclusive podcast that caters to young men. Young took a huge financial hit with this, given Spotify is responsible for 60% of his songs’ streams.
This is not the first time Young has used his platform to spread awareness for something he believes in. He has quite a progressive past, releasing songs to bring attention to issues or saying something outright, notably ``Southern Man,¨ a song which brings light to the harsh living conditions for African Americans in the South, or when he openly supported Ronald Reagan in his new presidency.
Spotify also took some damage since Neil Young had his music removed, losing almost four billion dollars of market value. Spotify claimed they ¨were sad to see him leave, and open to welcome him back soon.¨ A lot of people are disappointed that Spotify neglected to do anything to Joe Rogan, but it's quite simple. Spotify is a business, and money is money. Podcasts are hot right now, and Joe Rogan is at the top of the podcast world. He is currently intertwined in a $100,000,000 deal with Spotify, and it is unlikely any business would walk out on that much money.
Although Rogan claims he never intended to spread misinformation, he has been accused of only having guests with all the same opinions. Rogan is now taking steps towards making a less biased podcast for all viewers."I'm not trying to promote misinformation, I'm not trying to be controversial," he said. "I've never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people." It has yet to be seen if there was any truth behind these claims.
Other artists have joined Young in his stand against Spotify, but none that bring in enough money to really make a difference. It remains to be seen whether or not any changes will be made to Rogan's podcast, but Young is hopeful that appropriate action will be taken.
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