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29th Jan 2022

Joni Mitchell joins Neil Young in deciding to pull her music from Spotify

Danny Jones

Mitchell says she stands with Young after he criticised Joe Rogan’s podcast.

Music legend Joni Mitchell is the latest to ask for her work to be removed from Spotify over Covid-19 “misinformation” concerns.

This comes after fellow industry icon Neil Young earlier in the week pulled his music from the popular streaming platform, accusing it of allowing “vaccine misinformation” to be circulated among its listeners.

Young himself cited Spotify’s The Joe Rogan Experience as the main culprit in the alleged misinformation, stating: “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”

In an official statement posted on her website entitled “I Stand With Neil Young”, Mitchell said:

“I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. 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 also included a link to an open letter to Spotify signed by a coalition of medical professionals and members of the scientific community, imploring the music site to “implement a misinformation” policy immediately.

Earlier in the month, they demanded action be taken by Spotify, claiming Rogan has “repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast”.

The open letter particularly took issue with an episode of his show from December which featured Robert Malone, a virologist who has been criticised for spreading vaccine misinformation.

“Dr. Malone used the JRE [Joe Rogan Experience] platform to further promote numerous baseless claims, including several falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines and an unfounded theory that societal leaders have ‘hypnotised’ the public,” the letter read.

“Notably, Dr. Malone is one of two recent JRE guests who has compared pandemic policies to the Holocaust. These actions are not only objectionable and offensive but also medically and culturally dangerous.”

Previously, Rogan has told his listeners he was “not an anti-vax person” and that he shouldn’t be considered a source for scientific advice.

It remains unclear when Mitchell’s music will be removed from the platform but Young’s discography has already been stripped back to just one album and a couple of singles.

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