Following rock singer Neil Young’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, India.Arie decided to follow suit and is in the process of having her catalog and podcast removed from the streaming service.
The decision comes after Young opted to protest podcast host Joe Rogan, who is accused of spreading misinformation about coronavirus and vaccines on The Joe Rogan Experience.
On Monday (Jan. 31), Arie released a statement on Instagram regarding her solidarity. “I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify. Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through,” expressed the 46-year-old singer. She has nearly 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
She further explained, “I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons OTHER than his Covid interviews. FOR ME, IT’S ALSO HIS language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a fraction of a penny? And HIM $100M? This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”
She captioned the statement, “I wonder who else is tired. Any slick talkers with private pages will be blocked. #worthy #paymusicians #deletespotify #respectmusicians #whatifweallleave”
The Acoustic Soul singer also fired off a series of tweets last Saturday (Jan. 29) providing clarity on her decision to “#DeleteSpotify.” “I’ve been VOCAL about my UTTER distaste for the music industry ~ but no one really cared to listen. Until recently,” she wrote in one tweet. “Today I feel hopeful that this is a HUGE step in the direction of actually RESPECTING artists. SO. MANY. OF US deserve better! PERIOD. #DeleteSpotify.”
#DeleteSpotify Clarity: Artist give their LIVES making music that streams for a 28th of a penny. Yes 28th of a penny. And Joe Rogan is paid millions? THIS IS AN ABUSE. thank you @neilyoung for your activist spirit.
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
Clarity: And now with Covid curtailing touring ~ so many are struggling. NO streaming money. NO touring. NO govt bail outs for artists lol … just NOTHING. And Joe Rogan is paid millions? #DeleteSpotify
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
CLARITY: I’ve been VOCAL about my UTTER distaste for the music industry ~ but no one really cared to listen. Until recently ~ Today I feel hopeful that this is a HUGE step in the direction of actually RESPECTING artists. SO. MANY. OF US deserve better! PERIOD. #DeleteSpotify
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
CLARITY: The music industry is abusive. sexist. racist. agesit ~ AMPLIFIED and UNCHECKED. THIS is not an opinion. THIS IS WISDOM. this streaming model is but ONE area that needs to be torn down amd rebuilt with RESPECT for the artists AT THE FORE! #DeleteSpotify
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
CLARITY: LASTLY ! I pushed HARD for better ~ but I’ve learned to put my wellness first. So Dont even bother challenging my wisdom ~ cause I dont give a shit ~ not after all of the abuses and nonsense ive navigated for 20 + years. #DeleteSpotify
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
WELP! Have a good day yall. #DeleteSpotify pic.twitter.com/AL9txS7d0z
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
GOOD OL TWITTER: CLARITY: I know WHY @Neilyoung “did it” I READ THE NEWS TOO. ? MY point is : it still comes down to artists not being respected. Many stay silent out of fear But MANY of us especially black musicians arent respscted ANYWAY. #wisdom speaking up. FEELS BETTER.
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
OH! AND! if you’re not in the industry actually living this life? i dont expect you to understand ~ my goal is not to educate YOU [anymore] Especially NOT on twitter where nuance is impossible ~ MY intent its to speak my truth. take or leave. ✌??
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) January 29, 2022
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek released a statement on Sunday (Jan. 30), detailing new company rules and its approach to COVID-19 including adding a “content advisory” to podcast episodes where coronavirus is discussed and listeners will also be directed to a dedicated COVID-19 hub.
According to the statement, the hub is “a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources. This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform.”
Ek explained, “We have had rules in place for many years but admittedly, we haven’t been transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly. This, in turn, led to questions around their application to serious issues including COVID-19. Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.”
“I trust our policies, the research and expertise that inform their development, and our aspiration to apply them in a way that allows for broad debate and discussion, within the lines,” he concluded.
Singer Joni Mitchell and other acts have also joined Young in having their music removed from the streaming service.