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Spotify to make major changes following Joni Mitchell and Neil Young’s departure

Published 13:29 31 Jan 2022 GMT

The music streaming app will direct people to facts about Covid-19 while listening to podcasts that discuss the pandemic.

The change comes following Neil Young's decision to pull his music from Spotify as he feels Joe Rogan's podcast has been given a platform to spread misinformation there. Young said in an open letter to Spotify; “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. … They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." Joni Mitchell soon followed suit, and Harry and Meghan have also expressed concerns about sharing their podcast on the platform.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has now spoken out about the claims; "We are working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19. “This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated Covid-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics, and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources.” Joe Rogan has encouraged young people not to get the vaccine and hosted people with anti lockdown and vaccine ideologies. A group of 270 doctors wrote a letter to Spotify in December calling for the platform to “mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform" after Rogan hosted anti-vaxxers on his show. Since Mitchell and Young's decision to pull their music, Joe Rogan has posted a video to his Instagram page expressing his disappointment with the situation.

He has claimed it's not his intent to spread misinformation but that he is “interested in telling the truth, I’m interested in finding out what the truth is, and I’m interested in having interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions.” It is not surprising that longtime friends Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have taken such a strong stance on this issue as they are both Polio survivors. They both contracted the disease in the early '50s before a vaccine was available for the disease. Young sees the issue as one of life or death. “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,” he said.