Spotify, the popular Swedish audio streaming service on which 63% of all music is streamed, has recently come under fire for allowing content-creator Joe Rogan to spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on his podcast. In an age when false information can be spread so easily online, and distrust between Americans and the government is already at an all-time high, Rogan’s claims towards the vaccine are no help to the country’s goal of reaching herd immunity (the current vaccination rate is 63.4%).
Then came the boycotts. On January 26, Spotify removed Neil Young’s music after he had given the corporation an ultimatum, asking it to either remove Young’s music and continue to permit Joe Rogan a platform to spread such misinformation, or remove Joe Rogan’s podcast from the streaming service and keep Young’s music. The “Heart of Gold” singer stated, “I support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.”
Young’s many criticisms of Rogan stem from Rogan’s stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, and arrive after hundreds of medical health professionals wrote to spotify, asking the streaming service to take initiatives against the spreading of falsehoods made in an episode of Rogan’s show with guest Dr. Robert Malone – a physician who had previously gotten publicity for spreading baseless vaccine information on his now-banned Twitter account.
The Joe Rogan Experience garners an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, and is currently the largest podcast in the world. Since the pandemic, Rogan has made many claims towards the vaccine in episodes of his podcast, such as saying, “mRNA vaccines are gene therapy,” and that “myocarditis risk is higher from vaccines than COVID.” These are not the only arguments he makes, however, as he also supports the use of ivermectin, a medicine for horses with hookworms, as an alternative to the vaccine, despite there being a lack of evidence from reliable sources to support such theories.
Neil Young hasn’t been the only one protesting the Joe Rogan Experience, as many more musicians have sided with him in solidarity against Spotify’s compliance with Rogan’s harmful claims. Joni Mitchell, a Canadian singer-songwriter best known for hits such as “Both Sides Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi,” has come out in support of Young by removing her catalog from Spotify. Nils Longfren and Young’s former bandmates from CSNY (David Crosby, Stephen Still, and Graham Nash) all removed their music from the streaming service as well.
Concerned about his “language around race,” R&B and soul singer India Arie decided to further push the dispute against Joe Rogan by bringing up his repeated use of the N-word on his show, and his deeply insensitive comparison of predominantly Black neighborhoods to the Planet of the Apes movie franchise. Arie, just like the artists mentioned previously, has removed her music catalog from Spotify as a result of the actions made by Rogan.
Joe Rogan has since apologized for his use of the N-word, calling it the “most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about in years.” However, his apology comes off as disingenuous as he additionally states that the compilation India Arie posted of his frequent usage of the N-word was “taken out of context,” claiming the video is a “political hit-job,” implying that he would be the victim in this situation. Following the compilation that had resurfaced, and his apology, Rogan reportedly requested around 113 episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience to be removed from Spotify.
Only time will tell what will happen as these artists, and more in the future, continue to fight against the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and the blatant racism towards the Black community.
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