India.Arie Pulls Music From Spotify Over Joe Rogan’s “Language Around Race”
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The Spotify saga continues. Last week, Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum, writing in an open letter that he would pull his music from the streaming service over the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and over the COVID vaccine misinformation spread by Rogan and his guests. Spotify promptly removed Young’s music. Other artists like Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren, acting in solidarity with Neil Young, also pulled their music. Spotify announced plans for a COVID information hub. In an Instagram video, Rogan claimed that he’s sorry that Neil Young and Joni Mitchell “feel that way” and proclaimed himself “a Neil Young fan.” Now, another musician has also announced plans to remove her music from Spotify, and she’s got her own reasons for her decision.
In an Instagram announcement last night, the veteran singer-songwriter India.Arie wrote that she’s decided to remove her music and her SongVersation podcast from Spotify — not just because of his COVID misinformation but also because of his “language around race.” Here’s what she’s written:
I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify.
Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through.
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.
Presumably, India.Arie’s complaints have to do with a 2021 conversation between Rogan and Jordan Peterson, which was recently spotlighted by Media Matters. While talking to Peterson, Rogan said, “Unless you are talking to someone who is like 100% African from the darkest place where they are not wearing any clothes all day and they have developed all of that melanin to protect themselves from the sun, even the term Black is weird.”
Meanwhile, Gawker has a roundup of all the celebrities who left supportive comments on Joe Rogan’s quasi-apology video — a list that includes Jewel, the Rock, former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, comedian Jamie Kennedy, and pro surfer Kelly Slater.
