Gilles Vigneault of Quebec is the youngest musician to pick up his catalog from Spotify, supporting fellow Canadian artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in their fight against COVID-19 misinformation on the audio streaming platform.
In a statement Monday, the celebrated singer-songwriter says that with the support of his record company Tandem, he is asking that all his music be removed from the digital platform.
Young removed his music last week after the company refused to get rid of episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, which he criticized for spreading misinformation about the virus.
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Joni Mitchell joins Neil Young, pulls music from Spotify via Joe Rogan podcast
He asked others to support the case, and Mitchell announced Friday that she will be removing her music as well.
Spotify said on Sunday that it would soon add a warning ahead of all podcasts discussing COVID-19, and lead listeners to factual, up-to-date information from scientists and public health experts.
The company has also sought to increase transparency over its publishing decisions by setting out the rules it uses to protect users’ safety.
Rogan interviewed dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist who has become a hero in the anti-vaccine community. Malone was banned from Twitter for spreading false information about COVID-19 and falsely suggested that millions of people were hypnotized into believing that the vaccines work to prevent serious diseases.
Rogan said on Sunday that he was not trying to spread false information, but was trying to have conversations on his podcast with people who “have different opinions”. Rogan also welcomed the idea of adding advice before podcasts related to COVID-19.
The 93-year-old Vigneault, who wrote Quebec’s unofficial national anthem “Les gens du pays”, says he supports Young and Mitchell’s approach.
“I find, for my part, and I have always found, that when an artist of any known humanistic culture sets a good example of civic rigor and intellectual rigor, there are compelling reasons to follow them,” Vigneault said. said in a statement. his website.
“I therefore believe that Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are right to give us this example, and it is as honorable as it is relevant to follow them in their rejection of the proven dangerous falsehoods confessed by theorists of galloping populism. . “
© 2022 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca