Streaming Strike: Why Are Artists Leaving Spotify?

On Jan. 26, Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young posted an open letter to Spotify requesting his music be removed from the streaming service. Many other artists followed suit.

The letter, entitled “Spotify: In the Name of Truth,” was published to Young’s website. The singer/songwriter called out the streaming service for spreading “public misinformation and lies about COVID.”

“All my music is available on Spotify, being sold to these young people who believe what they are hearing because it is on Spotify,” Young said in his statement. “People like me are supporting Spotify by presenting my music on there. I realized I could not continue to support Spotify’s life-threatening misinformation to the music loving public.”

Young’s letter followed a Jan. 10 public letter in which hundreds of scientists and public health experts asked Spotify to remove a Dec. 31 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

The episode, which featured Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease expert, was criticized by the medical community for “baseless conspiracy theories” and “societally harmful assertions.”

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast,” the letter read. “He has discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed mRNA vaccines are ‘gene therapy’ (and) promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19.”

Young’s boycott against Spotify prompted other musicians to leave the streaming service in protest- most notably, Joni Mitchell, a singer/songwriter known for her 1971 album “Blue,”and Nils Lofgren, the longtime guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

On Jan. 30, Rogan took to Instagram and made a video explaining his thoughts regarding the controversy.

“The problem I have with the term ‘misinformation’ is that many of the things we thought of as misinformation just a short while ago are now accepted as fact,” Rogan said. “Eight months ago, if you said, ‘if you get vaccinated you could still catch COVID,’ you’d be removed from social media. Now, that’s accepted as fact.”

Rogan said he is sorry Young and Mitchell feel as if they have to take their music off the platform. He also said he would like to see disclaimers at the beginning of each controversial podcast episode urging people to consult their physicians and public health officials.

While currently only a few artists have removed their music from Spotify because of “misinformation,” others have spoken out against the streaming service because they claim they aren’t being paid enough.

Gene Simmons, front man and bassist for the band KISS said Spotify was not a good platform for new artists.

“New artists are getting slaughtered because they’re getting pennies out of a dollar,” Simmons said.

Simmons also mentioned a 2018 lawsuit where Wixen Music Publishing sued Spotify for $1.6 billion. Wixen manages the estates of Tom Petty, Weezer, The Doors and Neil Young.

“The idea of streaming and technology is wonderful. We all want to push buttons and get everything,” Simmons said. “But without artists, music and performers, you’re streaming air. That’s why record companies are folding from within because people have stopped paying for music.”

As of 2019, Spotify reported it paid artists between $0.00331 and $0.00437 per stream. If a song is listened to for more than thirty seconds, Spotify counts it as a single stream.

While this money adds up for bands and artists who receive billions of streams, up-and-coming artists get short-changed. Moreover, the final payout Spotify delivers has to be divided between record labels, publishers and other third-party entities.