Joni Mitchell returns to Spotify after Neil Young after protest

Joni Mitchell’s music has quietly returned to Spotify, more than two years after she followed Neil Young in protest against what she called “lies” about the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines on the streaming platform.

There was no official announcement of Mitchell’s decision, but on Thursday, fans on social media began to note with excitement that a number of her albums were reappearing on Spotify. By Friday morning, most if not all of Mitchell’s original albums had returned, including classics like “Blue” (1971), “Court and Spark” (1974) and “Mingus” (1979).

Representatives for the singer-songwriter, her record labels and Spotify did not respond or comment Thursday and Friday when asked about the apparent return of Mitchell’s albums.

In January 2022, Mitchell said with a post on her website titled “I Stand With Neil Young!” that she would delete all her music from Spotify. Young had done so after criticizing the service for its support of Joe Rogan, the podcast star whose show had come under fire from doctors and public health officials who said some of Rogan’s guests were promoting misinformation about Covid vaccines.

“Irresponsible people spread lies that cost people their lives,” Mitchell wrote.

Young returned his music to Spotify last week, saying: “My decision comes as the music services Apple and Amazon have started offering the same disinformation podcast features that I opposed at Spotify.” Rogan previously had an exclusive deal with Spotify, which has since been extended – for a reported $250 million – to allow distribution of his show on other platforms.

Mitchell, 80, has become more active in recent years after suffering an aneurysm in 2015 that initially left her unable to speak. She has made several appearances, including at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival and the Grammy Awards in February, and will play two “Joni Jam” shows at the Hollywood Bowl in October with Brandi Carlile and others.