Last week, Canadian music legacies and fellow polio survivors Neil Young and Joni Mitchell triggered a domino effect by vouching to remove their music from  Spotify. The move comes in protest of misinformation spewed by Joe Rogan on his podcast, Joe Rogan Experience. The streaming service is in a $100 million contract with him.

Since then, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash have all joined their bandmate, Young, on his way out of the streaming service. Four-time Grammy Award winner and American singer India Arie and podcast host Brené Brown have also followed suit.

Rogan vs. Science

The UFC commentator recently signed a $100 million deal with Spotify, giving them exclusive rights to the show in 2020. Accumulating 11 million listeners per episode, The Joe Rogan Experience ranked as the most popular podcast globally in 2021, according to Spotify.

In a ten-minute Instagram video, Rogan pledged to tweak his podcast content going forward. He plans to include disclaimers at the start of controversial episodes and maintain more balance in the show. “I’m not trying to promote misinformation. I’m not trying to be controversial,” he added. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations.”

The former Fear Factor host gained a massive following through his podcasts on YouTube, inviting notable guests to discuss a variety of topics ranging from monkeys in space to vaccine manufacturing. He has interviewed scientists such as astrophysicist Neil De Grasse Tyson, evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins and popular science author Steven Pinker.

However, Rogan also used his major platform to defend the likes of Dr. Peter McCullough, who falsely stated that tens of thousands have died from COVID-19 vaccines, and Dr. Robert Malone, who was banned from Twitter for posting similar misinformation.

Last year, Rogan caught heat from scientists when providing his opinion on the vaccine rollout. He said he would advise any healthy 21-year-old against COVID-19 vaccination, in a podcast episode.

The list doesn’t end there; Rogan has repeatedly hosted alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, infamous for insisting the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was staged and that government “weather weapons” exist.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated the company does not change policies “based on one creator,” in a company’s earnings call on Wednesday. In response to the mass exodus of artists, Ek re-established the platform’s rules regarding COVID-19.

Over the weekend, some noticed Spotify had quietly removed over 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience after publicly defending him. The podcasts deleted contained racial slurs and bigoted speech from Rogan.

What’s to lose?

Artists earn $0.003 per stream on Spotify, according to the Union of Musicians and a report on streaming by the United Nation. To earn a single dollar, musicians must gain an average of 325 streams.

In light of the controversy, streaming competitors began promoting Young and Mitchell’s music on their platforms. Young announced a special deal with Amazon Music, rewarding new subscribers with four free months of listening. Apple Music boosted both of their discographies with titles, “we love Neil” and “we love Joni too.” According to the UN report, Amazon Music pays out $1 for an average of 249 streams. For Apple Music, it’s 136 streams.

This week, self-proclaimed ‘internet’s busiest music nerd’, Anthony Fantano, explained why he cancelled his Spotify subscription to his YouTube audience. Young’s departure became Fantano’s “final straw” for leaving the service. Poor pay, mass layoffs and their CEO’s recent $113 million investment in military technology were among additional concerns for Fantano.

As the pandemic has accelerated the spreading of misinformation, artists are now utilizing their autonomy in the distribution of their music. In an Instagram post, Arie revealed additional motives for leaving the Swedish streaming giant. Arie said Young opened a door she “must walk through.” Rogan’s use of racist language also fueled the artist’s decision.

In a now-deleted letter from Young on his record label’s website, he explained this is not about free speech or censorship. “Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information.”