Joni Mitchell joins Neil Young’s Spotify protest over anti-vax content
In an act of solidarity between two veteran rock stars with a shared history of espousing progressive causes, Joni Mitchell has joined Neil Young in removing her music from Spotify in protest at it hosting a popular anti-vax podcast.
Mitchell, whose 1971 album Blue is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, is the first high-profile musician to take a stand alongside Young against the streaming behemoth.
“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” she said. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
The move ratcheted up the dispute over controversial podcasts by the comedian Joe Rogan hosted by Spotify, which last week triggered a storm over anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, cancel culture and the policing of social media. [Continue reading…]
Spotify lost $4 billion in market value this week after rock icon Neil Young called out the company for allowing comedian Joe Rogan to use its service to spread misinformation about the COVID vaccine on his popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
As of Friday, Jan. 28, shares of Spotify were down about 12% from where they closed last week, according to data from Nasdaq. The hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify also gained traction on social media, with many websites offering step-by-step instructions for users to remove the app from their devices. [Continue reading…]