Joni Mitchell put her music back on Spotify more than two years after taking it down. She did this to support Neil Young’s fight against misinformation on the platform.
As per The New York Times, Mitchell’s original albums ‘Clouds,’ ‘Blue,’ ‘Court and Spark’ and ‘Mingus’ reappeared on Spotify on Friday.
What Was the Reason for the Protest?
Mitchell and Young believed Joe Rogan’s podcast was spreading misinformation about COVID. In February 2022, Mitchell supported Young’s protest against Spotify for keeping Rogan’s podcast. She wrote the following note on her website:
“I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. 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.”
The Reasons Behind Young’s Spotify Comeback
After her protest, Warner Music Group removed the musician’s albums. Her Universal Music Group releases remained on the service. Mitchell’s return to Spotify follows a week after Young announced his own return to the platform. Young said he came back because other platforms like Apple and Amazon also spread similar podcast content:
“Spotify, the #1 streamer of low-res music in the world — Spotify, where you get less quality than we made, will now be home of my music again. My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify.”
The rocker continued:
“I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it.”
In July 2022, Mitchell performed live again for the first time since her aneurysm in 2015. Last month, she sang at the Grammys for the first time. Recently, she sang ‘I’m Still Standing’ with Brandi Carlile and Annie Lennox at a concert to honor Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
