Neil Young Returns to Spotify After Joe Rogan's Podcast Controversy

Folk-rock legend Neil Young has announced his music will return to Spotify after a nearly two-year absence. Young previously pulled his entire discography from the platform in protest of 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast, which he believed spread COVID-19 misinformation.

In a statement on his website, Young explains his return. Now that 'The Joe Rogan Experience' is also available on Apple Music and Amazon Music, Young feels his music can reach a wider audience again. However, his message contains a veiled jab at Spotify's sound quality.

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Spotify, the #1 streaming service of low-res music in the world, Young writes, "will now be home to my music again." He contrasts this with streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz, which offer his music in high-resolution formats.

While Young acknowledges Spotify has a vast user base, he expresses hope that the platform will eventually embrace higher audio fidelity. ‘Hopefully Spotify will turn to Hi-Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone’, he writes, urging them to become the "true #1" in music streaming.

Young's initial departure from Spotify stemmed from a letter signed by 270 scientists and medical professionals. They called for the platform to implement a misinformation policy in response to concerns about The Joe Rogan Experience.

This decision marks a shift in strategy. While Young remains opposed to the content of Rogan's podcast, its wider availability across platforms like Apple Music and Amazon Music seems to have lessened the urgency of his initial boycott on Spotify alone.

-Sushmita Sarkar