Longtime rock guitarist Nils Lofgren, who has worked extensively with both Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, has decided to follow in Young’s path and remove his music from Spotify.
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Lofgren, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted guitarist, who has played with both Neil Young’s band Crazy Horse and Springsteen’s E Street Band, wrote on Saturday (January 29) via the Neil Young Archives page:
“A few days ago, my wife Amy and I became aware of Neil and Daryl [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. 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. You listen and stand with them.”
Daryl Hannah is Young’s wife.
The artist has also been vocal on Twitter this past week, writing on Thursday, “Thank you @jonimitchell#DeleteSpotify#StandWithNeilYoung End the misinformation campaign that is stressing our health care workers.”
Lofgren added that the past 27 years of his songs have already been removed from the popular streaming platform Spotify and he is working with labels to get his earlier songs removed.
As we have been reporting all week, Spotify is facing major backlash for its role in hosting the podcast from popular host Joe Rogan, who, hundreds of doctors say, is spreading damaging and dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccinations to his ten-plus million listeners.
Young was the first to draw a line in the sand saying Spotify had to make a choice: either him or Rogan. Spotify chose Rogan. Then Mitchell followed in Young’s footsteps. The question remains, who is next after Lofgren?
In the wake of both Neil Young and Joni Mitchell leaving Spotify, the audio streaming platform’s stock has plummeted about 25%, Loudwire reports.
If that wasn’t all, rumors are beginning to swirl that other big-name artists are set to follow suit in Young and Mitchell’s footsteps. Makes sense. Many of the rockers today view both Young and Mitchell as heroes. And you listen to your heroes.
Even Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, is thanking Young, writing on Twitter: “.@NeilYoungNYA, thanks for standing up against misinformation and inaccuracies around #COVID19 vaccination. Public and private sector, in particular #socialmedia platforms, media, individuals – we all have a role to play to end this pandemic and infodemic.”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Beautiful Day Media
I guess Neil and Nils are no longer Rocking In The Free World, seeing as they are trying to get someone else censored off Spotify.
Buncha hypocrites.
I’ve lost any faith I had in Neil or Joni (never cared much for Lofgren) and anyone else who is encouraging this draconian threat. Many of us who listen to Rogan know this is absolute nonsense and there is no way that Neil or Joni or anyone with half a brain has deduced that Rogan is spreading any misinformation. On the contrary it spreads information.
What better way to prove you are unbiased and fair then by threatening someone with a “it’s either you or I” without any discussion or debate with the person being accused.
This is literally proving someone guilty before being proved innocent. Worse actually it is accusing someone without even a trial. These artists are being judge, jury and executioners all at once and actually being proud of it. None of them I suspect have read George Orwell’s 1984.
Sad, and it didn’t have to happen this way. Neil could have publicly talked about how he believes the information is wrong (or even better gone on the Rogan show to tell Joe’s listeners why he believes what he believes). Instead it now puts the listening platforms into the political fray like social media has been.
I guess I won’t be listening to Neil or Joni’s music – I’m not going to switch from Spotify to Apple music to hear them. Sad because Joni especially was one of my favorite artists. The result of them not being on the platform is that younger people will never likely hear their songs.
When we can’t express an opinion or debate about something that is touchy then we are no longer free.
BTW – not a fan of Joe Rogan and have seen much misinformation in clips of him and his guests. But I am a fan of free speech.