Hundreds Of Medical Professionals, Musicians, And Netizens Protest Spotify Spreads COVID-19 False Information

Spotify (Photo: techcrunch.com)

JAKARTA - A few days after musician Neil Young removed his songs and solo albums from the music streaming service, Spotify, now Joni Mitchell is also following Young's steps. Mitchell is said to be pulling his music from the streaming service to protest Spotify's relationship with Joe Rogan, which the company brought in an exclusive deal for a $100 million podcast show two years ago.

In a recent post on his website, Mitchell stated that he would side with Neil Young and remove his catalog from the streaming platform.

"I have decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are taking people's lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical community on this issue," Mitchell said.

As one of the most famous and respected musicians in the world, Mitchell's decision to leave Spotify over Rogan is sure to turn some heads.

Quoting TechCrunch, Sunday, January 30, this started when Rogan spread misinformation about COVID-19 in one of his podcast sessions some time ago.

After the podcast aired, it soon received a lot of contra from hundreds of medical professionals, musicians and netizens. Earlier this month, a letter from more than 250 medical professionals, professors and researchers called for Spotify to stop spreading misinformation about COVID on its platform and pointed to Rogan's podcast. Since then, more than a thousand other professionals have signed the letter.

"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, fueling distrust of science and medicine. These actions are not only unpleasant and offensive, they are medically and culturally dangerous," the letter reads. .

Until the #DeleteSpotify call became a trending hashtag on Twitter and people said they had canceled their Spotify subscription.

When Young's music was removed, how many Spotify subscribers tweeted that they were unable to send direct messages to customer service when trying to cancel their service after hearing the news.

"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but look forward to welcoming him back soon," Spotify told Rolling Stone.

For your information, Spotify is the exclusive platform for Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. In the past year, Rogan has had a large number of guests against vaccines and conspiracy theories on his podcast.

These guests are pushing for unproven treatments like ivermectin, while also spreading false information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. But on December 31, Dr. Robert Malone, an outspoken opponent of vaccines, appeared on Rogan's podcast and compared the state of the pandemic to Nazi Germany.