After Neil Young Boycott, Spotify Adding Content Advisories to Any Podcast That Discusses COVID-19

After Neil Young and Joni Mitchell had their music pulled from Spotify, citing misinformation about COVID-19 being spread on Joe Rogan’s Spotify exclusive podcast, the streaming platform’s CEO Daniel Ek released a statement in response today. Ek outlined steps the company plans to take to combat COVID-19 misinformation, largely centered on a plan to add content advisories to every podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.

“This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources,” the statement reads. “This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform.”

The statement also notes that the company has made its current platform rules transparent and viewable by the public for the first time. The rules outline what is not allowed to be published on Spotify, including “content that promotes dangerous false or dangerous deceptive medical information that may cause offline harm or poses a direct threat to public health.” Examples include assertions that COVID-19 is a “hoax or not real” or “encouraging people to purposely get infected with COVID-19 in order to build immunity to it.” Offenders of the policy risk content removal, and repeat offenders risk account suspensions or bans.

Pitchfork has reached out to Neil Young’s representatives for comment.

In addition to Young, Mitchell, and Nils Lofgren’s Spotify boycott, the band Belly recently changed their profile and header images on their Spotify artist pages to read “DELETE SPOTIFY.” Due to contractual difficulties, their music has not been pulled from the platform.

Brené Brown, the author and lecturer with a Spotify podcast deal of her own, has also announced that she’s stepping away from the platform. “I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice,” she wrote on Twitter. “To our #UnlockingUs and #DaretoLead communities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes.” At publication time, Brown has not publicly cited a specific reason for her decision. Tom Scharpling also pulled his long-running weekly radio show The Best Show from Spotify.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have a podcast deal with Spotify estimated to be worth $25 million. Their Archewell Foundation released a statement disavowing the “rampant mis and disinformation” being spread on the platform, BBC News reports. The statement reads: 

Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform. We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.

Read “In Praise of Neil Young’s Eternal Battle With the Music Industry” on the Pitch.