Disturbed's Dave Draiman and widow of Gang Of Four's Andy Gill wade into Neil Young Spotify row

Disturbed‘s Dave Draiman and the widow of Gang Of Four‘s Andy Gill have waded into Neil Young’s row with Spotify.

Earlier this week, Young called on the streaming service to remove his music “immediately” publishing an open letter – which has since been deleted – expressing his feelings about content on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast which he said was “spreading false information about vaccines”.

Spotify has since responded to his request and pulled his content although a small amount of his music still remains on the service.

Now, Andy Gill’s widow Catherine Mayer has penned an open letter to Spotify criticising their decision to keep Rogan’s podcast on their platform. She previously said that Gill may have died from COVID-19.

“If my beloved husband, Andy Gill, hadn’t died at the start of the pandemic, he’d have strong and clear feelings about your decision to remove Neil Young’s music in favour of a podcast that has spread anti-vax misinformation,” she wrote.

“If vaccines had been available at the start of the pandemic, he’d be here to have that conversation with you. Instead, I must speak for him. And I have to tell you, as his widow, I feel sick about the business decision you’ve made.”

She continued: “Since [Gill] died, I’ve worked to ensure his music is available to fans… and trying to get the full back catalog available on all channels. That means yours. Anti-vax misinformation kills people. Grief afflicts many of us right now. I ask you now: Help to contain the spread of grief by protecting the public and rethinking your decisions.”

But Disturbed frontman David Draiman applauded Spotify’s decision even though he did not necessarily agree with Rogan’s views.

“@eldsjal [Spotify CEO Daniel Ek] I applaud you and @Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob. I may not agree with everything @joerogan or his guests say, but they’re entitled to have the forum to say it.”

He also recently tweeted that he was in support of vaccinations. “I am triple vaccinated (Pfizer),” he wrote. “I take the necessary precautions for myself and my family. I’ve also been traveling the world for the past year and have done so safely. I live carefully, but I do not live in fear, and I refuse to. … This has happened before in human history and it will happen again. I will follow the ACTUAL science, and NOT the heavily politicized, fear mongering garbage that has infested both sides of the narratives associated with this virus.”

Young meanwhile, has since said that the removal of his music from Spotify will cost him 60 per cent of his streaming income.

“Thank you Warner Brothers for standing with me and taking the hit – losing 60% of my world wide streaming income in the name of truth,” he added.