ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Neil Young says he will return to Spotify after 2-year boycott over Joe Rogan

Neil Young performs  in 2023. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP) Neil Young performs in 2023. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
Share
TORONTO -

Neil Young is coming back to Spotify.

Two years after the "Heart of Gold" musician launched a boycott of the streaming music service over vaccine misinformation on Joe Rogan's podcast, Young says he intends to end his protest and return to the platform.

However, he says it is not a reversal of his original stance.

Without naming Rogan's podcast, Young says on his website that the "same disinformation podcast features" once exclusive to Spotify are now available on various streaming platforms, including those owned by Apple and Amazon.

"I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify," he wrote in a message posted Tuesday.

In January 2022, Young pulled his catalogue from Spotify after giving the company an ultimatum over concerns Rogan was spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on his show. Only a few songs of his remained on the service, all tied to either film soundtracks, live recordings or other musicians' albums.

Shortly after, Joni Mitchell joined the boycott and removed most of her music from Spotify, where it remains unavailable today. Representatives for Mitchell did not immediately return requests for comment.

Both musicians contracted polio as children before a vaccine was developed in the early 1950s.

Young says he hopes that with the return of his music, Spotify will improve the sound quality of its platform to support high-resolution audio. As of Wednesday morning, Young's deep catalogue of albums had yet to reappear on the service.

Quebec musician Gilles Vigneault had also joined Young and Mitchell in their boycott against COVID-19 misinformation. A publicist for the singer did not immediately respond to a question of whether he intended to return to Spotify.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2024.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.

BREAKING

BREAKING

A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.