आईसीटी समाचार
Neil Young has advised Spotify employees that the true problem is the company's CEO, not Joe Rogan, and that they should "get out of that place before it takes out your soul" (via Variety). This comes after Young pulled his music from Spotify, claiming the company was “spreading fake information about vaccines” through Joe Rogan’s podcast. Young's current battle with Spotify was originally aimed at Rogan's program, but he now appears to be blaming Spotify's leadership.
Young claims that CEO Daniel Ek is concerned about "numbers - not art, not originality" in an open letter uploaded to his website on Monday. Young urged Spotify staff to "be free and pursue the good road" at the end of his message on Monday. (I'd add that it's tough to feel free when you don't have a job, but perhaps he thinks they'll find something else first.) Young has attacked Spotify at least three times in recent weeks: after removing his songs, he went on to criticize its sound quality, calling it "shitty degraded and neutered."
Joni Mitchell removed music from Spotify, citing Rogan and COVID misinformation, as well as Rogan's "language around race." Rogan later apologized after a video of him using the n-word on his podcast went viral. In addition, he removed 70 episodes of his podcast from the platform. As the scenario evolves, Ek and Spotify as a corporation appear to be sending inconsistent messages about how they intend to govern their platform. One thing is certain: the company's podcasting plans are highly reliant on The Joe Rogan Experience (which made backing Rogan, instead of Neil Young, a relatively easy decision).
The corporation, on the other hand, is plainly reliant on its personnel. While it's difficult to determine how much influence Young has with them, the Rogan situation has clearly produced a lot of stress within Spotify, which Ek will have to negotiate as the company grows.
