Neil Young performs on stage at Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park at Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England.
Gus Stewart/RedfernsNeil Young wants his music pulled from Spotify, citing the spread of vaccine misinformation on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast as the cause.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in an open letter to his management team and record label posted to his Neil Young Archives website, according to Rolling Stone. The post has since been removed. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform.”
Rogan, who signed a $100 million deal in May 2020 giving Spotify exclusive rights to — but not ownership of — his hugely popular podcast, has come under fire for spreading misinformation on his show about COVID-19 and vaccines. In addition to broadcasting his own vaccine-skeptical views, Rogan has hosted firebrands including Dr. Robert Malone, an immunologist who has drawn comparisons between the COVID-19 vaccine drive in the U.S. with the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, among other inflammatory remarks.
“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. Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule,” Young wrote, according to Rolling Stone. Young addressed his letter to his manager and the co-chairman and COO of Warner Records, which releases Young’s music through its Reprise Records imprint.
“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” Young continued. “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
Spotify has removed controversial content from the platform in the past. In 2017, the company took down music from multiple groups that were deemed racist “hate bands” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The service subsequently announced a new policy around “hateful conduct,” which led the streamer to remove the music of R. Kelly, XXXTentacion and Tay-K from its editorial and algorithmic owned and operated playlists. But the company walked back that contentious policy three weeks later, stating in a blog post that the language in the provision was “too vague” and “created confusion and concern.”
Spotify and Warner Records did not respond to Billboard’s request for comment by press time.
Earlier this month, a group of 270 doctors, scientists, professors and other medical professionals also expressed concern over Rogan’s platforming of misinformation around COVID-19. In an open letter to Spotify, the signees asked the streaming service to implement a misinformation policy as a means of combatting claims made by Rogan and his guests. Among other comments, they noted that Rogan has discouraged young people from receiving the vaccine, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are “gene therapy” and promoted the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19, contrary to FDA warnings against using the drug to treat the virus.
Rogan’s tenure with Spotify has been rocky from the start. On Sept. 2, 2020, the company’s shares plummeted nearly 9% after it was reported that episodes featuring right-wing personalities were removed from the podcast’s back catalog prior to its debut on the service. Despite this purge, the company later came under fire with some of its employees over its decision to make Rogan episodes with “transphobic content” available to stream, leading to a series of internal discussions in which founder Daniel Ek reportedly defended the company’s decision not to remove the controversial episodes.
Beyond Rogan, Spotify has had other recent public relations issues. In November, Ek spurred a slowly growing “boycott Spotify” movement after announcing a $114 million investment in Helsing, a European security/defense technology startup that manufactures artificial-intelligence software to “keep liberal democracies from harm.”
As for Young, this isn’t his first tangle with the streaming service. In 2015, the singer-songwriter removed his music from Spotify — along with Apple Music and other subscription streaming services — after stating that he felt the audio quality of the streamers was too low. His music reappeared on the platforms the following year.
At the time of publishing, Young’s music was still available on Spotify.
Rick Astley will take viewers on a reflective look back at his life and career when he appears alongside Dermot O’Leary in a new episode of Reel Stories, due to air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in February 2026.
The series, first broadcast in 2018, invites major music figures into a London cinema to revisit key moments from both their personal lives and professional paths. With his 60th birthday approaching next year, Astley becomes the latest musician to sit down with O’Leary for the thoughtful and personal conversation.
Looking back on taking part, Astley said: “I loved doing Reel Stories with Dermot O’Leary, what a treat to be taken back to the start and come right through to today. Dermot is the perfect companion to go on that rollercoaster of emotion, love and thanks, Rick x.”
O’Leary shared his own praise for the experience, saying: “What a pleasure to spend time with Rick and hear him talk so openly about his memories from over the decades. I’ve long been a fan of his… A true gent, wise soul and real talent. I hope that viewers enjoy this extended interview as much as I did.”
Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor for BBC Pop Music TV, described the timing of the episode as ideal. She said: “Reel Stories is all about telling artists’ stories in a unique way… I’m thrilled that in February, Dermot will be joined by the one and only Rick Astley, celebrating Rick’s life and work as he reaches his 60th birthday.”
The programme follows Astley’s journey from his early work with the soul group FBI through to becoming an international pop star guided by Stock Aitken Waterman. He revisits his first appearance on Top of the Pops, speaks about the intense pressure that followed worldwide success when Never Gonna Give You Up reached number one in 25 countries, and reflects on his decision to step back from fame to focus on family.
Astley also talks about how his music found a new audience through the Rickrolling phenomenon, his return to recording after a 20 year break with encouragement from comedian Peter Kay, and his later career revival. This includes the success of his 2016 album 50 and his appearance on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2023.
As part of the themed evening, viewers will also be able to watch a repeat of Astley’s Glastonbury performance along with Stock Aitken Waterman at the BBC. The additional programme features classic moments from Astley as well as performances by Dead or Alive, Donna Summer, Bananarama, Mel and Kim, and Kylie and Jason Donovan.
Astley now joins a notable group of past Reel Stories guests that includes Dave Grohl, Jon Bon Jovi, Kylie, Noel Gallagher, Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Rod Stewart, Sting, and Take That.
