On Tuesday, Neil Young gave streaming service Spotify an ultimatum.
“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” he told them. “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Well, Spotify chose Joe Rogan.
According to a report from Wall Street Journal, the streaming giant is “in the process of removing Neil Young’s music” from the platform.
“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.”
Spotify chose to honor their $100+ million contract with Rogan, which was struck in 2020. Neil Young had 2.4 million followers and over six million monthly listeners.
“The formal request to remove the music was made Wednesday and could take several hours to take effect across Spotify’s service across the world,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators,” a Spotify spokesman said. “We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon.”
He added that the platform has removed over 20,000 COVID-related podcast episodes since the pandemic began.
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