Neil Young has shared a message demanding his music be removed from Spotify, citing the streaming service’s distribution partnership with Joe Rogan and accusing Rogan’s podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” of spreading false information regarding COVID-19 and vaccines.
The musician posted an open letter to his official website on Monday evening, although it has since been deleted. The piece is addressed to his management team at LookoutManagement and Warner Bros. corporate leadership.
“Please immediately inform Spotify that I am actively canceling all my music availability on Spotify as soon as possible,” reads Young’s open letter. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading false 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,” the statement continues. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately today that I want all of my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Representatives for Young could not immediately be reached for comment. As of this writing, the musician’s work remains accessible on Spotify.
Some public health officials have also urged Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing the massively popular “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast of possessing a “concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The Joe Rogan Experience” is currently the most-listened to podcast on the audio streaming service. Rogan signed a $100 million deal in May 2020, giving Spotify exclusive distribution rights (though not ownership of) his podcast.