Apple Music “trolling” Spotify by describing itself as “the home of Neil Young”

(CNN Business) — Just a day after Spotify agreed to remove Neil Young’s music from its service, Apple Music “trolled” its streaming music rival by treating the musician like a star.

In a Tweet Sent late on Thursday, and subsequently pinned to the top of the official Apple Music Twitter account, Apple called its platform “the home of Neil Young.” Some Apple Music users also reported seeing Young’s albums and playlists promoted to the fore in Apple Music’s “explore” section with the caption “We Love Neil.”

The message is a blatant jab at Spotify and possibly an attempt by Apple to use Spotify’s public relations headache to gain some ground. In the third quarter of 2021, Spotify declared to have 172 million subscribers of payment. Apple hasn’t disclosed comparable subscriber numbers. in two yearsbut a recent report He suggested that Apple Music is still far behind Spotify in the market.

Earlier this week, Young expressed in a post, now deleted, on his official website that he no longer wanted his music on Spotify due to his relationship with podcast host Joe Rogan. On his Spotify podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the comedian made frequent false and inaccurate claims about vaccines and COVID-19, while hosting numerous controversial guests.

Spotify heeded Young’s request withdrawing its catalog of the platform and said he hopes to “welcome him soon”. Young, who has been a defender security and prevention against covid-19, had about 6 million monthly followers on Spotify.

“I’m doing this because Spotify is spreading false information about vaccines, potentially killing those who believe the misinformation they are spreading,” she wrote in the since-deleted post, according to Rolling Stone. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”

On Twitter, the hashtag #DeleteSpotify went viral, as some users said they had canceled their Spotify subscriptions in support of the 76-year-old musician.

Spotify did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, a group of more than 250 scientists, doctors and nurses wrote an open letter to Spotify in which he condemned the company for serving as a platform for Rogan and asked Spotify to warn its listeners about misinformation.

“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 around $100 million.

Although Rogan doesn’t have a presence on Apple Music, his standalone Apple Podcasts app features podcasts like “Bannon’s War Room” by Steve Bannon, known for spreading misinformation.