American singer-songwriter Taylor Swifts’ fans have called on the star to pull her music from Spotify in solidarity with other artists protesting the music streamer’s handling of the Joe Rogan and Neil Young feud.
According to Fox News, the request for Swift to eschew Spotify came after Joni Mitchell stood with Young’s decision by announcing she too would be removing her catalog from the platform, followed by Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren also stepping forward to remove his music. A number of high-profile artists, including Madonna and Adele, were named in a tweet with Swift urging them to do the same.
“It’s time for Taylor Swift to leave Spotify!!” said one person. Another social media user said that if Swift threw her “hat in the ring,” then “there might be some meaningful change.” Write another, “Just need Taylor Swift to follow suit and I think Spotify may act.”
Graham Nash and India Arie also announced on Tuesday that they plan to have the platform remove their music as well. Nash, who performed with Young in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, provided a statement to Fox News Digital explaining that his decision comes after hearing the content on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’. “Having heard the COVID disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify, I completely agree with and support my friend, Neil Young, and I am requesting that my solo recordings be removed from the service,” Nash said in a statement.
India Arie explained in an Instagram post that she has an issue with Rogan’s content beyond the pandemic. Instead, she notes that his “language around race” is what drove her to pull her content from Spotify. “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through,” she wrote on Monday. Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement at the time that “our interests are totally aligned with yours” and that the platform was “getting fans to pay for music again.”Back in 2014, the `Shake It Off` singer removed her catalog from Spotify as a means for getting the streamer to execute better payouts to artists.
Swift’s music later returned to the platform in 2017, and she also called out Apple Music in a similar fashion. As per Fox News, Rogan is one of the streaming service`s biggest stars, with a contract that could earn him more than USD 100 million. He released a video on Monday in which he addressed the recent criticism and defended the credentials of some of the most controversial guests he`s had in recent months, specifically those who spoke about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.