Neil Young demands Spotify pull his music over Joe Rogan's 'fake' vaccine information: 'They can have Rogan or Young'


Neil Young wants Spotify to choose: Joe Rogan or him.
The singer is demanding that his music be removed from Spotify due to concerns about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on the platform. In a letter on his website that he has since deleted, Young specifically called out Joe Rogan, whose podcast The Joe Rogan Experience is a Spotify exclusive, Rolling Stone reports.
"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," Young wrote. "Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Young's request comes after a group of scientists and medical professionals wrote an open letter to Spotify asking it to address "misleading and false claims" about COVID-19 vaccines spread on the platform and specifically on Rogan's show. Rogan has said he doesn't plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and he drew criticism in 2021 for saying healthy young people don't need to get vaccinated. "That's incorrect," Dr. Anthony Fauci said in response at the time. In December, Rogan spoke on his show with Robert Malone, a doctor who was suspended by Twitter for COVID-19 misinformation.
"By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions. Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals," the open letter said.
Young on his website reportedly wrote that he wants all of his music pulled from Spotify "immediately TODAY," adding, "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." As of Tuesday morning, his music was still available to stream.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play