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Nils Lofgrenis the latest celebrity to take a stand againstSpotifyandJoe Rogan.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, 70, announced Saturday that he’s had “the last 27 years of my music” pulled from the streaming service, as he joinsNeil YoungandJoni Mitchellin boycotting their spread of COVID-19 misinformation in part through theJoe Rogan Experiencepodcast.
“A few days ago, my wife Amy and I became aware of Neil and [wifeDaryl Hannah] standing with hundreds of health care professionals, scientists, doctors and nurses in calling out Spotify for promoting lies and misinformation that are hurting and killing people,” Lofgren began a statement from himself and wife Amy Lofgren on Young’swebsite.
“When these heroic women and men, who’ve spent their lives healing and saving ours, cry out for help you don’t turn your back on them for money and power,” he continued. “You listen and stand with them.”
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Spotifyhas since removed Young’s music, noting they have “detailed content policies in place” and have extensively covered COVID-19. “We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon,” they shared in a statement to PEOPLE.
Lofgren noted that he’s had a majority of his own music taken down already, and he’s reaching out to the labels who own his earlier work to have that removed as well. “We sincerely hope they honor our wishes, as Neil’s labels have done, his. We will do everything possible towards that end and will keep you posted,” he wrote.
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“Neil and I go back 53 years. Amy and I are honored and blessed to call Neil and Daryl friends, and knew standing with them was the right choice. We encourage all musicians, artists and music lovers everywhere, to stand with us all, and cut ties with Spotify,” Lofgren added.
“Music is our planet’s sacred weapon, uniting and healing billions of souls every day. Pick up your sword and start swinging! Neil always has. Stand with him, us (Joni Mitchell!), and others,” he continued. “It’s a powerful action you can all take now, to honor truth, humanity and the heroes risking their lives every day to save ours.”
“I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice,” Brown, 56,wroteon Twitter. “To our#UnlockingUsand#DaretoLeadcommunities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes. Stay awkward, brave, and kind.”
A rep for Brown did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Since Young shared his statement, Mitchell, 78, announced Friday that she’s alsotaken down her discographyin a statement titled “I Stand With Neil Young!”
“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,” she wrote on her website.
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“Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform,” their statement said. “We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.”
“We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does,” Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, shared Sunday in the statement through their foundation Archewell.
The informal boycott comes after a group of 270 scientists, professors, and medical professionals previously shared anopen letterto Spotify on New Year’s Eve, requesting the audio giant implement a misinformation policy.
The Joe Rogan Experience/Youtube
The letter made note of Rogandiscouraging vaccinations in young people and children, falsely claiming that mRNA vaccines are “gene therapy,” and promoting off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID, which the FDA has previouslywarned against.
“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” the letter stated. “Though Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine,” they added.
Rogan previouslyclaimedthat he is not an anti-vaxxer after making controversial remarks that young, healthy people do not need to get vaccinated. “I’m not an anti-vaxx person. In fact, I said I believe they’re safe and I encourage many people to take them,” he said in April 2020. “I just said I don’t think that if you’re a young healthy person you need it.”
Spotify reportedly paid Rogan $100 million to acquire theJoe Rogan Experiencein 2020, according to theLos Angeles Times. The podcast has since garnered an estimated 11 million listeners, perNewsweek.
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source: people.com
