Streaming giant Spotify has said it “regrets” musician Neil Young’s decision to remove his music over the spread of coronavirus misinformation.
The platform said it tried to achieve balance and had removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid since the start of the pandemic.
Young's move follows reports he requested his content be removed following Spotify's hosting of the Joe Rogan podcast, which has been known to air vaccine-sceptical views.
Spotify said it aimed to balance “both safety for listeners and freedom for creators”.
“We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users,” the company said in a statement shared by US media outlets.
“With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators.
"We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid since the start of the pandemic.
“We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon."
The Joe Rogan Experience was acquired by Spotify in 2020, reportedly for more than £77million.
Stand-up comedian Rogan contracted the virus in September of last year. The 54-year-old has previously attracted controversy for suggesting the young and healthy should not get vaccinated.
Canadian-American musician Young has been behind classic rock hits such as Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold with success as a solo performer and members of iconic outfits such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Buffalo Springfield.
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