Audio streaming giant Spotify said Sunday it will add content advisories to any material mentioning COVID-19, and direct its users to public health sites for more information.
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Spotify is facing a massive backlash for its decision to continue to air the popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," despite concerns that it is spreading COVID misinformation.
Rogan, whose exclusive distribution deal with Spotify is estimated to be worth $100 million, hosts the most-listened-to podcast on the streaming service. Last month he interviewed Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist who has become well-known among anti-vaccine Americans and who has been banned from Twitter for violating the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policies.
Hundreds of scientists, professors, and public health experts have called on Spotify to remove the Dec. 31 episode of Rogan's show, the streaming giant has refused to do so.
This position prompted folk-rocker Neil Young to yank his songs from the service.
"Spotify has recently become a very damaging force via its public misinformation and lies about COVID," Young wrote in a post on his website on Wednesday. "Spotify represents 60% of the streaming of my music to listeners around the world ... Yet my [record label] stood with me, recognizing the threat the COVID misinformation on Spotify posed to the world – particularly for our young people who think everything they hear on Spotify is true," he asserted. Spotify "can have Rogan or Young. Not both."
On Friday, Joni Mitchell said she, too, is removing all of her music from Spotify in solidarity with Young.
"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," the singer-songwriter wrote.
Sunday saw Nils Lofgren, the Bruce Springsteen guitarist and a member of Crazy Horse, a frequent collaborator with Young, join what has come to be known as the "Spotify revolt." Lofgren said he had already had the last 27 years of his music removed and requested labels with his earlier music to do likewise.
"We encourage all musicians, artists and music lovers everywhere to stand with us and cut ties with Spotify," Lofgren said in a statement.
Popular podcaster Brene Brown said on Twitter that she would "not be releasing any podcasts until further notice."
Spotify's market capitalization fell about $2.1 billion over a three-day span following Young's announcement and the solidarity shown by other prominent musicians.
According to US media reports, a long list of other performers, podcasters, and celebrities are said to be reconsidering their contracts with the audio streaming ginat.
On Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek laid out more transparent platform rules in an attempt to ward off the backlash.
"Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly," Ek said. "It is important to me that we don't take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them."
Ek said that the advisories will link to Spotify's fact-based COVID-19 hub in what he described as a "new effort to combat misinformation." It will roll out in the coming days, Ek said. He did not specifically reference Rogan or Young.
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who have signed a multi-year deal to produce and host podcasts for Spotify under their production company Archewell Audio, on Sunday urged Spotify to tame virus misinformation.
"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," an Archewell spokesperson said in a statement. "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."
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