Singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell is showing support for fellow musician Neil Young by removing all her music from Spotify, after Young left the streaming platform in protest against podcaster Joe Rogan.
Young, 76, a polio survivor, sent an ultimatum to the Swedish streaming service this week, demanding that it remove his music from the platform unless it dropped The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
"I realised I could not continue to support Spotify's life-threatening misinformation to the music-loving public," Young said in an open letter.
His challenge followed a demand from hundreds of medical professionals that the streaming service prevent Rogan from promoting "several falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines," which they said is creating "a sociological issue of devastating proportions."
Rogan, 54, whose show is the platform's most popular, is widely accused of peddling conspiracy theories. He has discouraged vaccination in young people and promoted the off-label use of the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to treat the virus.
Last month, Rogan interviewed Dr Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist who has been banned from Twitter for spreading Covid-19 misinformation.
"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon," Spotify said. It also said that it had policies in place to remove misleading content from its platform and has removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
On Thursday, Rogan, who has a $100 million multi-year exclusive deal with Spotify, was kept on while Young's hits – including Heart of Gold, Harvest Moon and Rockin' in the Free World – began vanishing from the platform.
In solidarity
Mitchell, 78, then joined the fray on Friday, saying she's also removing her music from Spotify "in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell said in a message posted on her website.
While Young had 2.4 million followers and more than six million monthly listeners on Spotify, Mitchell, who had much of her success in the 1970s, had 3.7 million monthly listeners to her music. Her songs Big Yellow Taxi and A Case of You have both been streamed more than 100 million times on the service.
The Joe Rogan Experience was Spotify's most popular podcast globally in 2021. It became exclusive to Spotify in 2020 when Rogan signed a multi-year licensing deal reportedly worth about $100 million.
Last year, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek told Axios he didn't think Spotify – which recently began heavily investing in podcasts – had editorial responsibility for Rogan. He compared the podcaster to "really well-paid rappers," saying "we don't dictate what they're putting in their songs, either."
#DeleteSpotify trends
On Thursday, following the removal of Young's music from Spotify, rival Apple Music posted a tweet, calling itself "the home of Neil Young".
Some Apple Music users said Young's albums and playlists were heavily promoted on the platform, including a banner titled "We Love Neil."
The hashtag #DeleteSpotify also trended on Twitter as users showed their support for Young.
Spotify, which reported having 172 million paying subscribers in the third quarter of 2021, is one of the leading music platforms, while Apple has not disclosed subscriber numbers.
In his letter, Young had called on other artists to support him following his action. In a message on his website Friday, he said that “when I left Spotify, I felt better.”
“Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information,” he wrote. “I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.”
– Additional reporting by AP and AFP
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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