Spotify has announced that it’s issuing new rules to combat COVID misinformation on the platform after several prominent artists said they will leave the platform if it continues to host comedian Joe Rogan, whose podcast —”The Joe Rogan Experience”— has spread misleading and inaccurate claims about vaccines and the deadly virus.
The growing list of musicians and personalities threatening to leave Spotify follows Neil Young and then Joni Mitchell asking for their music to be removed from the platform over Rogan’s misinformation. Nils Lofgren, who was part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and Crazy Horse, also announced he is taking his music off Spotify and encouraged all “musicians, artists and music lovers” to cut ties with the platform to support healthcare professionals.
In response, Spotify issued a statement Sunday saying that it is adding a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19. The advisory will direct listeners to a Covid-19 hub that will include links to trusted sources, the company said, according to CNN.
In the statement, CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek said: “These are rules of the road to guide all of our creators — from those we work with exclusively to those whose work is shared across multiple platforms,”
“It’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time,” Ek added.
