“Hey, Hey, My, My” — Neil Young is leaving Spotify.
Among the most storied of all classic rockers, the voice and guitar behind ballads and anthems, from “Heart of Gold” to “Rockin’ In the Free World,” can’t abide keeping platform company with The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) — the world’s top-rated podcast with an estimated per episode audience of 11 million listeners — so Young delivered an ultimatum.
Spotify didn’t blink.
On Tuesday (Jan. 25), overlapping headlines created a feedback loop that Young’s guitar tech would admire as news broke of letters the artist sent to Spotify and posted on his website demanding the streaming service drop JRE over what he believes is COVID-19 misinformation.
As is being widely reported, a letter posted Tuesday on Young’s website addressing publisher Hipgnosis and label Warner Records/Reprise, then deleted, read, “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both. 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. Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.”
Another letter, dated Wednesday (Jan. 26) and currently posted on the singer-songwriter’s site, explains his decision, thanking Warner/Reprise “for standing with me in my decision to pull all of my music from Spotify,” noting that the platform generates 60% of his worldwide streaming earnings.
Spotify has signaled that it will remove Young’s music.
Young went solo in the 1970s, but he’s not alone in his crusade against JRE and Spotify.
On Dec. 31, infectious disease researcher and Instagram influencer Jessica Malaty Rivera posted an open letter on Spotify saying: “This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform. We, the undersigned doctors, nurses, scientists, and educators thus call on Spotify to immediately establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform.” The letter was signed by 270 medical professionals and supporters.
Rogan has yet to comment. In a somewhat ironic twist, Spotify disbanded its podcast studio early this month. JRE is not among its properties and was not impacted. The JRE podcast became a Spotify exclusive in 2020 when Rogan inked a $100 million deal with the platform.
See also: Spotify Closes Its Podcast Studio
In a career entering its sixth decade, Young is a seminal superstar whose credits include stints with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and his own highly influential band, Crazy Horse.
No stranger to controversy, Young tried to shake up the digital music world back in 2015 with his backing of high-resolution audio and the iPod-like PonoPlayer, which retailed for $400 and specialized in “lossless audio” by taking aim at MP3s and compact discs.
Young’s Pono push ended in 2017 after lackluster initial sales and confusion over the concept.
Years earlier, he also took on Napster, the original peer-to-peer disruptor that enabled users to search each other’s computers for MP3s and listen for free. “You can’t just give it away,” Young told MTV News of the Napster model back in May of 2000.
See also: AMZN vs. WMT Weekly Report: Neil Young, HD Music And The Limits Of Subscriptions
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