Spotify arrived more than a decade ago with an appealing proposition: Listeners could leave their CDs and downloads behind and stream virtually every song ever released. It made the platform a top power in the music business and ushered in competitors such as Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal, helping reverse the industry¡¯s nosedive.
Spotify remains the biggest music streaming service. But a few years ago it pivoted to add a buzzy format to its portfolio: podcasts. The move made the service a smorgasbord of audio entertainment ¡ª part music service, part news outlet, part always-on gabfest. It may have also set the company on a collision course with artists and left listeners with a less-than-complete library of songs.
Last week, Neil Young kicked off a storm in the music business and on social media when he demanded that his music ¡ª including rock classics such as ¡°Heart of Gold¡± and ¡°Cinnamon Girl¡± ¡ª be removed from Spotify. He was protesting the company¡¯s support of Joe Rogan, its star podcaster, who has been criticized for promoting misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines.
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