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David Crosby, Stephen Stills Join Former Bandmate Neil Young’s Protest of Spotify, Joe Rogan
Members of rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young cite vaccine misinformation for decision to pull music from steaming service
Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash, from the band Crosby, Stills and Nash, have all announced their intention to pull their music from Spotify.PHOTO: ANDY PARADISE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By
Omar Abdel-Baqui Follow
Feb. 2, 2022 3:46 pm ET
Musicians David Crosby and Stephen Stills are joining their former bandmate Neil Young in his protest against Spotify Technology SA, SPOT -5.75% saying they want to pull their music from the platform over their opposition to what they say is misinformation about Covid-19 spread by podcaster Joe Rogan.
Mr. Young demanded Spotify remove his music last week, leading to a string of musicians and podcasters who have also said they want to pull their content from the platform.
The actions come as Mr. Rogan has apologized and pledged to be more balanced and informed about controversial topics and guests. The podcast star has used his popular Spotify show to discuss Covid-19 vaccines and restrictions, speaking against vaccine mandates for indoor events and suggesting that young, healthy people shouldn’t be vaccinated.
Spotify, meanwhile, has made public its content policies and created a Covid-19 information hub in response to the criticism.
“We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast,” Messrs. Crosby and Stills said in a statement Wednesday that was also signed by Graham Nash, another former bandmate. Mr. Nash earlier announced plans to pull his music from Spotify.
“While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences,” their statement said. “Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don’t want our music—or the music we made together—to be on the same platform.”
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was one of the Woodstock generation’s most enduring rock groups. The musicians had previously played with Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds and the Hollies.
CSNY broke up and reformed multiple times over the years, both with and without Mr. Young. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2019, Mr. Crosby said he no longer spoke with Messrs. Nash, Stills or Young and that they hadn’t been friends “for a long time.”
Their boycott of Spotify comes as musicians India Arie, Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren have also sought to remove their music from the platform in the past week.
Watch: Joe Rogan Addresses Spotify Controversy, Vows for More Balance
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Watch: Joe Rogan Addresses Spotify Controversy, Vows for More Balance
In an Instagram video post, Joe Rogan addressed the growing backlash against him and Spotify, which distributes Rogan’s podcast, stemming from accusations that his show spread false information about Covid-19 vaccines. Photo: USA Today Sports/Reuters
Representatives for Spotify didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The company has said it would add advisory warnings on episodes regarding Covid-19.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that Spotify’s move to insert the warnings is a positive step but that there is more that can be done.
“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,” Ms. Psaki said. “And that certainly includes [Spotify].”
News Corp’s Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has a content partnership with Spotify’s Gimlet Media unit.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” is currently Spotify’s most popular podcast. In 2020, Mr. Rogan signed an exclusive podcasting deal with Spotify, worth more than $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter.
Mr. Rogan on Sunday said his show has grown “out of control” and said, “If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” referring to the growing backlash against him and Spotify.
“It’s a strange responsibility to have this many viewers and listeners,” Mr. Rogan said in a 10-minute video posted on Instagram over the weekend. “It’s nothing that I’ve prepared for. I’m going to do my best to balance things out.”
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