In his own statement, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek did not mention Rogan by name but alluded to the backlash that the podcast has caused. “Spotify is leaning directly into the comparisons to Facebook and YouTube it lets them run the ‘content moderation is an impossible challenge’ playbook instead of the ‘we bought and distribute this media property’ playbook,” as The Verge’s editor in chief Nilay Patel noted on Twitter. (Rogan did clarify that he’s “not an anti-vax person” after the White House shot down the latter claim.)īut as tech observers have pointed out, Spotify isn’t only a platform dealing with content moderation-it has a high-profile contract with Rogan. But Spotify’s association with Rogan has also caused the company headaches, particularly due to his pandemic-related content, such as when Rogan endorsed the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and advised “healthy” young people not to get vaccinated. Financially, that contract has paid off for Spotify, as Rogan’s show and his millions of listeners have played a key role in helping the tech company’s plan to grow its user base through podcasting. Spotify obtained exclusive rights to The Joe Rogan Experience in 2020, when it struck a reported $100 million deal with Rogan. “I’m very sorry that this is happening to them and that they’re taking so much heat from it,” Rogan said on Sunday in a 10-minute video statement posted on Instagram. Rogan-who recently hosted Robert Malone, a controversial medical doctor and infectious-disease researcher who promoted a “ mass formation psychosis” conspiracy theory, on his podcast-apologized to Spotify and thanked the company for supporting him. Over 200 health experts signed onto an open letter accusing Spotify of “enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research.” And even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have a content deal with Spotify, have expressed “concerns.” Facing increasing scrutiny, both Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and podcaster Joe Rogan released statements over the weekend attempting to mitigate the public backlash before more join in on boycotting the platform. Spotify is at the center of a growing controversy over COVID-19 misinformation on its platform: Two music legends, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, along with at least one other high-profile musician, said they were pulling their music.
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