Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Entertainment

Joni Mitchell says boycotting Spotify over Covid ‘lies’

Singer Joni Mitchell said Friday she was pulling her music from Spotify over “lies” on the streaming service about Covid-19.

Joni Mitchell said she was pulling her songs from Spotify
Joni Mitchell said she was pulling her songs from Spotify - Copyright AFP/File Samuel Corum
Joni Mitchell said she was pulling her songs from Spotify - Copyright AFP/File Samuel Corum

Singer Joni Mitchell said Friday she was pulling her music from Spotify over “lies” on the streaming service about Covid-19, just days after fellow musical titan Neil Young did the same.

In a post on her website, the “Big Yellow Taxi” singer said she was supporting Young, who clashed with Spotify over its wildly popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.

“I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify,” Mitchell wrote.

“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives.

“I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

Mitchell’s website also carried a copy of an open letter to Spotify by medics and other scientists calling on the company to establish a misinformation policy to combat Rogan’s repeated falsehoods and conspiracy theories around the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no immediate comment from Spotify.

Young, the voice behind “Heart of Gold” and “Harvest Moon,” yanked his music from Spotify this week after telling the service it had to choose between him and Rogan.

He accused Spotify of “spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death” by putting out Rogan’s podcast, which racks up millions of listens.

“Spotify has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation,” he wrote. “Lies being sold for money.”

“I realized I could not continue to support SPOTIFY’s life threatening misinformation to the music loving public.”

Young had over six million monthly listeners on the popular streaming platform. His fellow Canadian Mitchell currently has 3.7 million.

Rogan has a multi-year exclusive deal with Spotify, reportedly worth $100 million, and a massive following.

Critics say his podcast is a platform for conspiracy theories and disinformation, particularly over Covid-19.

Rogan has discouraged vaccination in young people and promoted the off-label use of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin to treat the virus.

In a statement this week, Spotify said: “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users.

“With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid since the start of the pandemic.”

“We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify,” the service said, “but hope to welcome him back soon.”

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

World

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) is paying his second visit to China in less than a year - Copyright POOL/AFP Mark SchiefelbeinShaun...

Business

Google-parent Alphabet soared with Microsoft in after-hours trade following forecast-beating earnings - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Drew AngererMarkets were mixed on Friday after...

Life

An expert explains why keen gamers should consider running as part of their regular routine.

World

People wave the Palestinian flag during protests in Doha after the outbreak of the Gaza war - Copyright AFP Rabih DAHERCallum PATONCriticism of Qatar...