Vaccine misinformation seems so all-encompassing these days that it might cause a rock legend to pull his music from Spotify.
That rock legend is Neil Young, who has recently stated that alleged anti-vax claims on Joe Rogan's podcast will make him pull his music from the massively popular streaming platform, reports the BBC.
Young wrote a letter to his management and record label, where he stated that Spotify "can have Rogan or Young, not both." The letter was also temporarily posted to his website called Neil Young Archives until it was eventually taken down.
In it, the musician seemed staunchly against the reported vaccine skepticism on Rogan's podcast. His exact words were as follows: "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform."
Young continues by saying that the music streaming platform, which paid $100 million to host Rogan's podcast, "is spreading fake information about vaccines." He argues that by spreading this disinformation, the platform is potentially causing the deaths of those who believe in them.
The rock legend says that the reach of Rogan's podcast is mainly to blame. It is estimated that the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast averages an insane 11 million listeners for each episode, which gives it tremendous influence.
If Young's requests are honored, it will not be the first time Spotify will remove controversial content from its platform. It is also not the first instance that the music streaming service has been involved in misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, writes Billboard.
A group of scientists, medical professionals, and science communicators penned their own open letter to Spotify on the same grounds. In it, they requested that the company implement its own misinformation policy to fight back against the false claims made by Rogan and his guests on the JRE podcast.
Spotify or Rogan himself hasn't commented on this issue as of this writing.
Joe Rogan And His Alleged Vaccine Misinformation
Rogan is considered the most popular podcast host on Spotify, which is likely why Neil Young is up in arms about his alleged anti-vax stance. However, the color commentator has claimed once that he is not an anti-vaxxer.
In a report by the BBC, Rogan stated that he believes vaccines are safe and encourages people to take them. However, he also suggested before that those young and healthy "don't need" to take vaccines, which drew ire from people and even US government officials.
He is also a proponent of using so-called "alternative" COVID-19 treatments, such as taking Ivermectin. Ivermectin is classified as an anti-parasitic drug, which renders it useless against the coronavirus. A viral and parasitic infection are two completely different things.
Spotify remains mum about implementing a policy against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on their platform, despite the constant clamor for it. Only time will tell if the company will finally relent.
Related: COVID Vaccine Mandate for Workplaces Blocked by Supreme Court, Deemed Not an Occupational Hazard
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce