Neil Young fans have been left wondering how they can listen to his music after its removal from Spotify.
The 76-year-old’s music has been removed from Spotify after he protested against the spread of Covid misinformation on The Joe Rogan Experience, which is one of the platform’s most popular podcasts.
He has been widely praised for publishing a since-removed open letter addressed to his manager and record label, which said: “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, [The Joe Rogan Experience], which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence.
“Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
He added: “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.”
Young said Rogan’s podcast was spreading “false information” about Covid-19 vaccines that was “potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them”.
In the wake of his music’s removal from Spotify, SiriusXM returned Young’s music to its channel in the US.
“When you have an opportunity to present an iconic artist still at the height of his creativity, you don’t hesitate to do it, again,” Steve Blatter, SiriusXM senior VP and general manager of music programming, said in a statement.
It had previously launched as a limited-run offering in December 2021.
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday 26 January that Young’s music was being removed from its platform.
In the UK, the musician’s back catalogue can be heard on Apple Music.
