Neil Young demands Spotify removes his music over podcaster Joe Rogan

Neil Young has demanded Spotify remove all of his music from their streaming service in a blazing row over vaccine misinformation spread by podcaster Joe Rogan.

In an open letter to his manager and record label telling them to have his catalogue taken down the Heart of Gold singer writes: ‘They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.’

Young hit out at the streaming platform, which offers 72 albums of his work, for ‘spreading fake information about vaccines’.

In the now-deleted online letter he specifically took aim at comedian and podcaster Rogan, who signed a $100m deal with Spotify giving them exclusive rights to his show, The Joe Rogan Experience.

In the now-deleted online letter he specifically took aim at comedian and podcaster Rogan, saying: ‘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 an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE [Joe Rogan Experience], which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,’ he writes.

‘Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy,’ he wrote.

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.

‘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.

‘Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.’

MailOnline have contacted Spotify for comment. 

The letter was addressed to Frank Gironda, Young’s manager, and Warner Records which releases his work through Reprise Records.

A total of 270 experts and medical professionals called on Spotify to adopt a misinformation policy after Joe Rogan (pictured) hosted the controversial Dr Robert Malone last month

Gironda confirmed the letter to the Daily Beast, adding: ‘It’s something that’s really important to Neil. He’s very upset … we’re trying to figure this out right now.’

Young’s letter is not the first time Spotify have faced criticism for their partnership with Joe Rogan. 

Last month, 270 people, including medical professionals, engineers and podcasters and teachers, called on the streaming giant to adopt a misinformation policy after the comedian hosted the controversial Dr Robert Malone.

During a three-hour and six-minute interview on the now-viral episode #1757 of The Joe Rogan Experience, Malone compared the US to Nazi Germany and said today’s society was suffering from a ‘mass formation psychosis’ over the use of vaccines.

He also claimed to be part of the team that invented the mRNA technology used in the Covid-19 jab and said pharmaceutical companies administering vaccines – such as Pfizer and Moderna – have ‘financial conflicts of interest’.

Hundreds of medical professionals have fact-checked Malone and demanded accountability from Spotify – which spent a reported $100million on exclusive streaming rights to the Joe Rogan Experience in 2021. 

In an open letter, they said: ‘With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, 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.’ 

The letter claims Rogan has a penchant for ‘broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’ and that the episode with Malone promoted ‘baseless conspiracy theories’, including ‘an unfounded theory that societal leaders have ‘hypnotized the public’.