Joni Mitchell has joined Neil Young’s battle against Spotify.
Friday will see the singer-songwriter Posted a statementThe title “I Stand With Neil Young!”You can find the announcement on her website.
“I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,”Mitchell wrote. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
That Mitchell would openly support Young’s stand against the streaming giant should come as no surprise; the singers, who both got their start in the Canadian folk scene, have been friends for nearly six decades.
The move comes just several days after Young first demanded Spotify pull his catalog over claims that the company was actively promoting the spread of misinformation about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic — particularly via the massively popular podcast, Joe Rogan Experience. Spotify boasts the largest worldwide market share for paid music streaming platforms, boughtThe rights to Rogan’s podcast last year.
“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,” the “Southern Man”In a now-deleted posting on his website, the singer wrote Monday. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Almost 48 hours later, Young’s music was removed from the platform.
“We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users,”In a statement, the company said. “With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon.”
In aA new letter was posted Friday to The Neil Young Archives, Young addressed recent criticism of his move to pull his music from Spotify’s platforms. “I support free speech,”He wrote. “I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information.”