After Neil Young, it’s James Blunt’s turn to take part in the Joe Rogan controversy. In
a tweet posted on Saturday, the singer tried to induce the platform to remove the controversial podcast, accused of spreading fake news. “If Spotify does not remove Joe Rogan immediately, I will publish new music on the platform”, he threatened with humor, adding the hashtag #youwerebeautiful.
This message, which is not lacking in self-mockery, adds to the rants of many artists. In question the presence of the podcast of Joe Rogan, an American media titan who flirts with conspiracy and misinformation. Many personalities have challenged the platform to remove this program and fight against fake news.
Many personalities alert Spotify
After having sent an ultimatum, Neil Young put his threats into execution by gradually withdrawing most of his musical catalog with the support of Warner. Spotify’s answer? “We want all of the world’s music and audio content to be accessible to Spotify users. This implies a great responsibility in the balance between the security of the listeners and the freedom of the creators. We have detailed content policies in place and have removed over 20,000 covid-related podcast episodes since the pandemic began. We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to be able to welcome him back soon,” the platform said in a statement.
For her part, singer Joni Mitchell has also decided to withdraw her songs. “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,” said the 78-year-old Canadian, AFP reported on Saturday.
Finally, according to BFM TV website this Sunday, Meghan and Harry also challenged the platform through their Archewell foundation. “Last April, our co-founders began raising concerns with our partners at Spotify about the palpable consequences of Covid-19 misinformation on the platform (…) We expect Spotify to rise to the challenge , and we are committed in this sense to continue our collaboration with them”, explains the couple.