Many conservatives, including Donald Trump Jr, have been celebrating Spotify’s removal of Neil Young’s music this week.
The folk musician, best known for songs like “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man”, requested that Spotify take down his music due to the streaming service’s platforming of controversial podcast host Joe Rogan.
The Joe Rogan Experience show, which is exclusive to Spotify, has been an endless source of controversy throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, chiefly due to some of the host’s vaccine-sceptical statements, as well as his guest choices.
Mr Young penned an open letter to Spotify in response last week, stating that the company “has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
However, the streaming behemoth has seemingly sided with its hugely popular host, who currently garners an estimated 11 million listeners per episode.
The musician 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.” With Mr Young’s music now disappearing from the platform, Spotify appears to have made its decision.
The decision by Spotify, which was confirmed by a company spokesperson earlier this week, was met enthusiastically by a number of conservative politicians and commentators.
Senator Paul of Kentucky was so thrilled over Mr Young’s removal that he even wrote a version of one of the rock legend’s most well-known works: “My My, Hey Hey.”
The senator wrote: “Bye Bye, Hey Hey, Neil Young is gone today. It’s better to boycott than to just obey. Bye Bye, Hey Hey... Seeya @Neilyoung.”
Donald Trump Jr also weighed in, tweeting: “So Neil Young pulled his letter to Spotify because it seems he doesn’t even own his music portfolio anymore & therefore has no control.”
“That checks out because he was in our offices a decade ago trying to sell it. We passed! I know because I think I took this pic in DJTs office!” he added.
Far-right GOP Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado weighed in, declaring Mr Rogan the winner.
Contrastingly, plenty of media figures expressed dismay at Spotify’s continued support for its $100m Dollar man.
Fellow broadcaster Howard Stern, who reportedly commands similar listenership numbers on Sirius FM, defended Mr Young’s threat on his show earlier this week, claiming the issue is “about life or death.”
Mr Rogan’s podcast continues to be one of the most influential in the world, but with criticism mounting over some of his false Covid claims, one has to wonder if Spotify will soon be forced to address the issue. For the time being at least, the show goes on.
