Spotify Announces “Efforts to Combat Misinformation”.
Neil Young (left) had previously unsuccessfully asked Spotify to remove Joe Rogan’s (right) podcast
What: AP
After the withdrawal of musicians like Neil Young and pressure from Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry, Spotify gives in: All posts about Covid-19 are provided with information on scientifically based sources. The Swedish streaming service became aware of its “obligation”.
An the face of growing criticism, the Swedish streaming platform Spotify has announced that it will direct listeners to controversial corona podcasts to more information about the pandemic. “We are working to add a content notice to every podcast episode that contains a discussion about Covid-19,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on Sunday evening.
The notice was intended to give listeners “access to data-backed facts, up-to-date information disseminated by scientists, physicians, academics and public health officials around the world, and links to trusted sources.”
Several artists, including Neil Young (76/”Heart of Gold”) and Joni Mitchell (78/”Big Yellow Taxi”), had previously announced that they would withdraw their music from Spotify.
Ek has “realized that we have an obligation to do more to create balance and provide access to information that is widely accepted by the medical and scientific communities,” the Swedish billionaire said. The “new efforts to combat misinformation” would kick off in the coming days, he added.
Print of Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry also commented on the debate on Sunday. “We have continued to raise our concerns with Spotify to ensure changes are made to its platform to help address this public health crisis,” their charity Archewell said in a statement.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harrys have signed a multi-million dollar podcast production deal with Spotify
Source: dpa/Taidgh Barron
“We hope Spotify seizes this moment and are committed to continuing our collaboration if that happens.” The couple signed a multi-million dollar podcast production deal with the streaming platform at the end of 2020.
Canadian rock musician Neil Young had all of his music removed from the streaming platform a few days ago.
Removed 20,000 Corona-related podcast episodes
The 76-year-old had previously unsuccessfully asked Spotify to remove the podcast by controversial US comedian Joe Rogan. He accused Rogan of spreading false information about the corona virus. “Spotify has become a site of potentially deadly disinformation about Covid,” Young said. Mitchell echoed that on Friday.
Rogan is one of the most popular podcast hosts in the world. However, he is accused of, among other things, advising against vaccination of young people and promoting the treatment of Covid-19 with the deworming agent Ivermectin, which is mainly used in veterinary medicine. Last year, the 54-year-old signed an estimated $100 million exclusive deal with Spotify.
Spotify wants to make all music and audio content accessible to its users, it said in a statement from the Swedish streaming giant. The company has a comprehensive content policy and has removed more than 20,000 Corona-related podcast episodes since the pandemic began.