I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice. At the time, she did not explicitly cite her reason for doing so. On January 29, the author, researcher, professor, and corporate consultant Brené Brown, who also hosts a popular Spotify-exclusive podcast called Unlocking Us, announced on Twitter that she was momentarily pausing the publication of new episodes. “We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public-health crisis.”įor what it’s worth, Archewell Audio has published only one podcast episode - a holiday special - since signing its deal with Spotify, which presumably limits their leverage to withholding future output. “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. The former royals’ concerns with misinformation on the platform had apparently predated this particular news cycle. The news was first reported in The Guardian on January 30. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who signed an exclusive Spotify deal in 2020 said to be worth $25 million through their studio Archewell Audio, reportedly “expressed concerns” to Spotify over COVID-19 misinformation on the platform. (On a related note: Springsteen, you might remember, once hosted a Spotify exclusive with former president Barack Obama, who also has a lucrative content deal with Spotify through Higher Ground, the Obamas’ production studio.) “We are reaching out to the labels that own my earlier music to have it removed as well.”Ī frequent collaborator with Young, Lofgren is perhaps best known as a member of Crazy Horse and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. “As I write this letter, we’ve now gotten the last 27 years of my music taken off Spotify,” wrote Lofgren in a statement posted on Young’s website. On January 29, the rock musician Nils Lofgren joined Young and Mitchell in moving to pull his music from Spotify due to concerns over COVID-19 misinformation on the platform. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell wrote in a statement on her personal website. On January 28, fellow Canadian legend Joni Mitchell joined Young in his protest, stating that she has also started the process to request Spotify remove her discography from the platform. 79BJTQe0b1- The Best Show January 27, 2022 “We love ya, the podcast’s account tweeted. On January 27, Tom Scharpling and Jon Wuster announced that their beloved comedy podcast and radio program, The Best Show, would no longer be available on Spotify. Spotify, of course, sided with Rogan, and proceeded to remove Young’s archive from the platform on January 27. ( Rolling Stone was first to report on both the open letter and Young’s ultimatum.) Young noted that his decision was inspired by an open letter from over 270 medical professionals demanding Spotify take action against “mass-misinformation events which continue to occur on its platform.” The letter specifically targeted The Joe Rogan Experience as the prominent vector of that public misinformation. The Canadian music legend, who survived polio in his youth, got the ball rolling on January 24 when he issued an ultimatum to Spotify to choose between his discography or The Joe Rogan Experience. Until we know for sure, though, here’s a rough and running list of musicians, artists, and creators who have spoken up or taken specific action in the wake of Spotify’s latest Rogan controversy. At this point, it’s unclear whether it’ll be enough to dissipate the moment, or whether more voices will join the fray. Spotify has already responded to the brouhaha ahead of its earnings call this week, making public its platform rules over COVID-19 misinformation and announcing other steps like applying a warning label to podcast episodes discussing the pandemic as well as some sort of COVID-19 information hub on the service. A broader and somewhat more prominent coalition of people are either joining the process or expressing concern than in previous iterations. The past few cycles have generally sputtered out within a week, but this one - sparked by Neil Young and specifically pegged to concerns over COVID-19 misinformation - seems to have longer legs than usual. This isn’t the first time The Joe Rogan Experience has dragged Spotify into a shitstorm over free speech, misinformation, and controversial content on the platform, and it certainly won’t be the last. Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos by Getty Images
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |