Spotify plans to add a content advisory label to any podcast episode that discuss COVID-19 as the streaming service faces criticisms for allowing COVID-19 misinformation to spread on its platform.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement that the advisory rollout will begin around the world in the next few days. It will direct listeners to Spotify’s Covid-19 hub, which will provide access to data-driven facts, links to resources and information from trusted medical professionals.
“You’ve had a lot of questions over the last few days about our platform policies and the lines we have drawn between what is acceptable and what is not. 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,” Ek said.
“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,” he added.
This comes after musicians, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren pulled their work from the platform in protest of Joe Rogan who spreads anti-vaccine misinformation on his popular podcast available exclusively on Spotify.
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in a letter. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.”
Spotify agreed on Wednesday to remove Young’s music. Since then, Mitchell and Lofgren announced they were pulling their music from the platform in solidarity with Young.
By Friday, Spotify’s shares took a hit, dropping by 12% and the company lost $4 billion in market value.
