by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The controversy sparked by music legend, Neil Young, calling out Spotify for allowing its platform to be used to spread COVID-19 misinformation continued to heat up as the White House joined the debate Tuesday, saying more needs to be done to ensure Americans get accurate information about the pandemic.
Young removed his entire music catalogue from the streaming music giant last week in protest for Spotify making money by peddling dangerous COVID-19 misinformation on its podcasts.
"I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines, potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them," wrote Neil Young, incensed that Spotify's top blogger, Joe Rogan, was routinely spreading false information about COVID-19 and vaccines against the fatal virus.
Spotify is a Swedish company and the world's largest music streaming service provider. Joe Rogan is one of the most popular podcasters in the world, regularly receiving millions of views per episode. Spotify obtained exclusive rights to Joe Rogan's program in 2020 for 100 million U.S. dollars.
"Spotify has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation. Lies being sold for money. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both," Young asserted.
The controversy initially exploded when Rogan invited Dr. Robert Malone to speak on his podcast last month, a man who had been banned from Twitter for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, including falsely suggesting that millions of people had been "hypnotized" into believing that the vaccines work when they don't, despite ample scientific evidence that they actually do.
Young urged other artists and record companies to move off the irresponsible platform. Fellow folk rock legend, Joni Mitchell, immediately responded to Young's plea, removing her entire catalogue from Spotify.
On her website on Friday, Mitchell wrote: "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."
Prince Harry and Meghan also weighed in on Sunday, issuing a statement through their Archewell foundation that they had expressed concerns to Spotify "about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform."
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded Young and his record label, Warner/Reprise, for their action, despite the financial hit they would suffer when confronting Spotify.
Ghebreyesus tweeted, "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."
A group of 270 doctors and scientists also published an open letter to Spotify to "implement a misinformation policy."
The letter pointed out that, "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine. He has discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are 'gene therapy,' promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 (contrary to FDA warnings), and spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories," the letter stated.
For removing his music out of principle, Young has been hailed as a "hero" by fellow musicians, fans, and colleagues. Many respected his willingness to stand up for his principles despite the personal cost to him, since 60 percent of his revenue is derived from Spotify.
The impact on Spotify has been enormous as the controversy continues to escalate. Since Young took his stand, shares in Spotify plummeted 12 percent as of Monday, according to data from Nasdaq, losing 4 billion U.S. dollars in market value -- a hefty price to pay for one blogger.
And hashtags #CancelSpotify and #DeleteSpotify bloomed on social media. Other websites offered instructions on how to delete the app from their mobile devices.
Scrambling to contain the crisis, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the streaming service would add a content advisory on Rogan's podcasts and clamp down on COVID-19 misinformation by providing a dedicated COVID-19 hub that would provide "data-driven facts," and "links to trusted sources."
They promised they would work to "raise awareness around what's acceptable and help creators understand their accountability for the content they post on our platform."
The White House press secretary Jen Psaki called it a "positive step," saying "our hope is that all major tech platforms and all major news sources, for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19."
Finally responding to his misinformation controversy, Joe Rogan said he would "do my best to make sure I've researched these topics" and "try harder to get people with differing opinions" on his show.
He admitted that he did not know if the information he conveyed on his podcasts was accurate because, "I don't know because I'm not a doctor; I'm not a scientist."
Happy with his responsible stance, Neil Young said, "I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front-line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others."
He added that his music was still available to stream on Amazon, Apple Music and Qobuz - with better sound quality. "As an unexpected bonus, I sound better everywhere else," Young added. ■