Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have broken their silence on the Spotify controversy emerging from petitions against Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast.
Stars including Neil Young and Joni Mitchells have exited the streaming platform in a stance against the spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19.
Now, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are addressing the streaming giant in a show of support against the worldwide misinformation crisis.
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Address Spotify Amid Joe Rogan Controversy
Markle and Harry’s relationship with Spotify came under question as they remained silent amid the audio platform’s controversy.
The couple, who have a reported £18million podcast deal with the streaming giant, has released a statement via their organization, the Archewell Foundation, as seen on Twitter. The Duke and Duchess’s spokesperson expressed:
“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day.”
The statement noted that last April, the couple’s co-founders began expressing concerns to their Spotify partners about the “all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.”
Prince Harry and Markle buttressed that they have continued “express concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.”
The message concluded that the foundation owners look to Spotify to “meet this moment,” and they remain committed to working together.
Earlier this week, The Blast disclosed that Spotify sided with Rogan to keep “The Joe Rogan Experience” on-air despite an open letter from health professionals, scientists, and teachers against it.
Medical professionals referred to Rogan’s infamous podcast as a clear example of “broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The streaming giant’s aloofness prompted Neil Young to step up and offer an ultimatum between his music and Rogan’s platform.
The “Harvest Moon” singer admitted that his exit from the platform was a massive loss to his team. Still, he can no longer support “Spotify’s life-threatening misinformation to the music-loving public.”
Spotify’s spokesperson explained that they have removed “over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID” since the onset of the pandemic.
Regardless, the statement politely noted that Young would be booted off the platform, but they hope to welcome him when he changes his mind.
In light of the ongoing controversy surrounding @Spotify’s continued support of Joe Rogan, whose podcast has spread proven misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccine efficacy, a spokesperson for Archewell (Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s foundation) says: pic.twitter.com/MZE7RqTNxY
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) January 30, 2022
Spotify Shuts Down Live Support Amid Joe Rogan’s Podcast Debacle
Spotify could not provide live customer support due to the barrage of complaints from users following their decision to keep airing “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
The Blast shared that, since Thursday, January 27, listeners who tried to access live support on the streaming service were redirected to a robot.
A support page notified customers that they would be experiencing long delays resulting from many users seeking live support.
The page also encouraged listeners to peruse their community help section and use Spotify’s support articles.
A majority of users bombarded the live support section to delete their account amid the viral trend of “#DeleteSpotify” on social media.
A determined customer advised the public via Twitter about how to toss their account into the virtual trash can without the need for customer support.
A) No live customer support needed to cancel – see instructions below.
B) Remember to tell them why you’re leaving.
C) Other Options:
1. LiveXLive (Slacker)
2. Apple Music
3. YouTube Music
4. SoundCloud
5. Deezer
6. Pandora Radio
7. Amazon Prime Music
8. Saavn
9. Tidal pic.twitter.com/gSo0p73mG5— Paul Morrison (@chessclubgringo) January 28, 2022
Joni Mitchell Exits Spotify In Solidarity With Neil Young
Joni Mitchell walked away from millions of listeners on Spotify when she carried the protest torch lit by Neil Young against the spread of misinformation against COVID.
The singer raked in an impressive 3.7 million monthly listeners through her Spotify profile. Her singles “Big Yellow Taxi” and “A Case of You” also pulled together more than 100 million streams from global listeners.
The Blast revealed that the “River” artist updated her official website with a message on her decision to exit the streaming platform. She expressed:
“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
