Musician Neil Young is following through on his threat to pull his extensive and beloved catalog of sounds from Spotify.This week, Young took a stance on the company’s relationship with podcaster Joe Rogan, accusing Spotify of spreading Covid-19 misinformation through Rogan’s hit show.Spotify allegedly bought the exclusive rights to the show in a deal worth at least $100 million.
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Spotify confirmed Yang’s actions in a statement sent to TechCrunch on Wednesday, saying the company “regrets Neal’s decision to remove his music from the streaming service.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Spotify was working on a tool to delete Yang’s music. Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that the removal is in the works, and Yang’s music will soon no longer appear on its service.
And Yang announced his intention to withdraw his music in an open letter to his management team and company that was later deleted. “I’m doing this because Spotify is spreading disinformation about vaccines — potentially killing those who believe the disinformation they spread,” he wrote in the letter, first reported by Rolling Stone. “Please take immediate action today. , and keep me informed of the schedule.”
This isn’t Yang’s first run-in with streaming services. Back in 2015, he threatened to remove his music from Spotify and other platforms because he complained they had reduced the quality of his recordings.
“Soon my music will live on in a better place,” Yang wrote, pointing out Amazon and Apple Music to fans.