| Musician Neil Young went to bat for what he believes telling Spotify to pick between hosting his music or Joe Rogan’s podcast. Young is upset that the streaming platform lets Rogan interview whomever he likes and is complicit in spreading the dreaded “Misinformation.” The head of the WHO thanked Young for standing up for science. But Spotify backed Rogan whose podcast has millions of listeners each episode. However, Spotify will need to hold the line as the pile-on begins. Peter Frampton and Barry Manilow threatened to remove their music, as did Joni Mitchell. James Blunt threatened to release a new (possibly annoying) song if Rogan stays. But it’s not clear whether the bulk of Spotify listeners care about any of these artists, let alone Rogan’s audience. The question of who owns Neil Young’s music is a curious bunny trail, but we suspect that somewhere, someone is benefitting enormously from the attention. Just in: Spotify seems want its cake and to eat it too. They’ve changed the rules, sending a gentle warning to Rogan. So watch this space. Or go read a good book. |
