In 2020, world-renowned musician Joni Mitchell boycotted Spotify by removing her full discography from the platform. Now, almost four years later, the artist’s music is back on Spotify much to the enjoyment of Mitchell-aficionados everywhere.
During the pandemic, Mitchell stood in protest against Spotify for hosting “The Joe Rogan Experience,” an 11-million listener podcast that was perceived to play a role in triggering waves of anti-vaccination conspiracy-theories. Mitchell’s strong stance against the show came as a result of her experience contracting polio as a child, when vaccines for the disease were not yet widely available, and was therefore a display of her political and personal beliefs.
More than three years later, Mitchell re-uploaded her music to Spotify once the platform ended its exclusive deal with Rogan and “Experience.” To Mitchell, the decision comes as a new step in her decades-long career.
In 2022, at the Newport Folk Festival, the 80-year old musician performed for the first time in almost two decades alongside Brandi Carlile in a surprise set that became “Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live)/Joni Jam,” winning Best Folk Album at the 2024 Grammys. Mitchell also performed for the first time ever at the ceremony, singing “Both Sides Now” with Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Lucius, Jacob Collier, Blake Mills, and SistaStrings.
Mitchell has accumulated a fierce and loyal following, as well as extensive musical prestige, across her almost six-decade long career. The musician received multiple Grammys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, was named a Companion of the Order of Canada (the country’s highest civilian honor), performed with counterculture supernova Bob Dylan in the “Rolling Thunder Revue” tour, and overall established herself as one of the greatest living musicians of the western world.
Artists from Prince to Björk to Taylor Swift have relentlessly cited Mitchell as a source of essential and continuously-relevant inspiration, and her music in itself has been significantly influential since the release of her first album, “Song to a Seagull,” in 1968. Most notably, her fourth studio album, “Blue,” skyrocketed Mitchell’s career and established itself as one of the greatest albums of all time for its confessional authenticity and poignant composition.
The mysterious, rough-edged, and deeply sentimental persona also contributes to her legend, much like the cloud surrounding her: a fog that still conceals her even after years of shocking vulnerability, the nebulous nature of her sharp, expressive lyrics, and the fumes of her decades-long smoking vice. Like the clouds of “Both Sides Now,” Mitchell demands that audiences view her as a multifaceted and complex artist, bard, and woman.
Mitchell’s return to Spotify is another highlight in her renewed career, and its impact further demonstrates her relevance in the music industry.
