Spotify Controversy

2.3.22

The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast on Spotify

Spotify is currently under fire from artists across multiple genres, due to the antics of one creator in particular. The platform is one of the largest streaming platforms for music, podcasts and marketing efforts, though many are questioning to continue their business with Spotify. Would another creator influence you to completely remove your work or business from one of the largest platforms to support your mission?

For many, this is the case as Joe Rogan continues to receive backlash for his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. As with many podcasts, the creator wants their show to be a safe space where you can explicitly share your thoughts and opinions on the given topic. One may expect that all those listening would be on board with whatever the conversation may be, and understand that this is a “Safe Space.” However, Joe Rogan’s podcast continues to receive harsh criticism, due to allegedly spreading false information about the COVID-19 vaccine and other information in regards to the pandemic.

Joe has host a variety of different guests to come on the show, and talk about plenty of things going on in the world. Of course, the pandemic has effected everyones life in one way, or a few, and this has been a standard topic of discussion on many episodes of the podcast. The thing about having guests and offering them a platform to share whatever they believe in, things can get dicey. Not everyone agrees with each other, and some people feel strongly opposite of what others may believe. Though, the main issue many are having here is people receiving information that is actually just false when it comes to medical facts and treatments.

Much of the backlash Spotify has been receiving as a brand stems from other artists whom host their catalogs on the platform. Neil Young and Joni Mitchel, two folk-rock artists, lead a boycott against Spotify, and promised to take down their catalogs if Joe Rogan’s show was not removed or altered in a way to censor the in-factual aspects of the show. Other artists such as India Arie, Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren, Eve 6, Belly (rock band), David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash followed suit. Brené Brown, another podcast host, also stated he would not release a new episode until something had changed.

Joe Rogan is no stranger to conflict, and it does not appear that he would change anything about his podcast with a fight. Currently, it does not seem that he will need to, as Spotify has so far stood with him throughout the controversy. The CEO of Spotify was reported to have the following to say about Joe Rogan and his podcast remaining on Spotify streaming platforms:

"I think the important part here is that we don't change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change it based on any media cycle. Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space – and I do believe they're right for our platform. While Joe has a massive audience and is actually the number one podcast in more than ninety markets, he also has to abide by those policies."

It seems clear that with the means of freedom of speech, Spotify agrees that Joe Rogan and his podcast has yet to break and rules. Additionally, it is quite clear that the podcast is performing quite well for Spotify, and they would not want to stop this success for either party. On top of this, Spotify is said to have paid more than $100 million for exclusive rights to The Joe Rogan Experience in 2020, making him the headline act for its growing podcast division. So, even if they had wanted to remove the show, it likely would not be in the favor of Spotify to do so.

With the continuation of the controversy behind Joe Rogan’s platforms continuing to be accessible and uncensored on Spotify, many artists are asking for their catalogs to be removed. Will marketers remove their buys? Will listeners cancel their subscriptions? I personally do not believe so, but I will leave the political part out of it. I am team Apple Music anyway.