Entertainment Music Joni Mitchell Joins Neil Young in Taking Music Off Spotify Due to COVID-19 Misinformation: 'Solidarity' "Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives," Joni Mitchell said in a statement By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 29, 2022 10:26AM EST Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty; Dave J Hogan/Getty Joni Mitchell is taking a stand. Shortly after Neil Young had his music removed from Spotify due to misinformation about COVID-19, Mitchell, 78, announced on her website that she would be removing her discography from the music streaming service for the time being as well. "I've decided to remove all my music from Spotify," the "Help Me" singer said in a statement Friday. "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," she added. Spotify Pulls Neil Young's Music After Singer Gave Ultimatum Over Joe Rogan's COVID 'Disinformation' Mitchell also linked to an open letter to Spotify in her post, which was signed by doctors and medical professionals who said that the Joe Rogan Experience — Spotify's top podcast — promotes "baseless conspiracy theories and has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic." Newsweek reported that the Joe Rogan Experience sees an "estimated 11 million people" tune in for each episode, though Spotify has not officially unveiled exactly how many users subscribe to the podcast overall. Spotify, according to the Los Angeles Times, reportedly paid about $100 million to acquire the Joe Rogan Experience. Paul Morigi/Getty; Ronald Martinez/Getty; Dave J Hogan/Getty Earlier this week, Young, 76, reportedly demanded his management team and record label give Spotify an ultimatum between his music and Rogan's podcast, posting an open letter to his website Monday that appears to have since been deleted. "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," he wrote, according to Rolling Stone and Variety. "Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule." Joni Mitchell Debuts First Official 'River' Music Video for Song's 50th Anniversary "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both," Young added, according to the outlets. Representatives for Spotify and Rogan, 54, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's prior request for comment. RELATED VIDEO: Joni Mitchell at Clive Davis Grammy Gala Not long after, Spotify confirmed it would be removing Young's songs from the platform for the time being. "We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users," a spokesperson for Spotify said in a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday. "With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators." "We have detailed content policies in place and we've removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic," the statement continued. "We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon." Neil Young Sues Donald Trump for Copyright Infringement, Calls His Campaign 'Un-American' A day later, Young posted an additional letter on his website calling out Rogan's podcast once more. He wrote, in part, "Most of the listeners hearing the unfactual, misleading and false COVID information on Spotify are 24 years old, impressionable and easy to swing to the wrong side of the truth." "These young people believe Spotify would never present grossly unfactual information. They unfortunately are wrong," Young added. "I knew I had to try to point that out." As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here. Close