Neil Young will return his music to Spotify after boycotting the streaming service for two years over its relationship with Joe Rogan
The singer-songwriter, 78, removed his entire catalogue in January 2022 in protest over Spotify’s exclusive hosting of Rogan’s chart-topping podcast.
Rogan’s show was criticised for spreading misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines by scientists and medical professionals in a view shared by Young and other artists, such as Joni Mitchell and India Arie, who removed their songs in solidarity.
At the time, Young described Spotify as “the home of life-threatening Covid misinformation”. He said: “Selling lies for money... they can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Young’s change of heart follows a business decision by Rogan, who last month signed a new multi-year deal, believed to be worth $250 million, that will see his podcast distributed by other platforms, including Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Amazon Music. It means that The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify.