Joni Mitchell & Neil Young Return Their Music to Spotify After Boycott
Two of the biggest musicians returned their music to the streaming service Spotify after several years. Just days after Neil Young made his music available on Spotify again, Joni Mitchell quietly added her catalog back to the platform. In 2022, Neil and Mitchell removed their music from Spotify as a boycott of Joe Rogan‘s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
At the time, Mitchell said, “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” She was regarding the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
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Young decided to make a return to Spotify after noticing that other streaming services such as Apple and Amazon are now playing Rogan’s podcast. He said that his decision “comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify. 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.”
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At the time of posting, Mitchell has not shared her reasons for returning, but it is likely that she may share the same views as Young. Either way, fans are excited to see both musicians back on Spotify. What’s your take on this issue? It may be a valid reason to purchase physical copies of your favorite music since artists or platforms can remove music at the drop of a hat. This has also been an issue with television shows and movies that have been moved around to different streaming services or removed completely. Although streaming is hugely popular and convenient, it may be a good idea to have a backup of your favorites. Plus, it is very nostalgic… which has been proven to make you happy.
1974 (50 Years Ago)
January 2024
In this time capsule issue of ReMIND Magazine we look back 50 years ago to 1974!
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