The 76-year-old Canadian singer objected to the music streaming giant Spotify giving a platform to Rogan, 54, who has been accused of promoting falsehoods about Covid vaccines.Įarlier this month, Rogan invited Dr Robert Malone, credited with a role in developing mRNA vaccine technology, on the show. Last week, Rogan, a martial arts enthusiast and one-time Bernie Sanders-endorser, collided with the rock veteran Neil Young. The Joe Rogan Experience podcast – the vehicle for his enormous wealth and power – intersperses comedy, politics, criticism of the media, interviews and discourses on topics ranging from cage-fighting to psychedelics and quantum mechanics.
He appears committed to some forms of social justice but is amenable to conservatives. He is sometimes left-leaning but says he detests identity politics and political correctness. They released one earlier this month that examines some of the claims made in Rogan's chat with Malone.Now he’s one of the most powerful figures in American media, though often little acknowledged or actively shunned by the country’s coastal elites. Wendy Zukerman and Blythe Terrell are publishing episodes that debunk misinformation being spread on the platform. The host and editor of Gimlet's Science VS podcast said they'd no longer make episodes of their show until "Spotify implements stronger methods to stop the spread of misinformation on the platform." There was one exception to that stance, though. Spotify has also faced criticism from employees over Rogan. Reports suggest Barack and Michelle Obama may not renew their Spotify deal, which is set to expire in a few months. Film director Ava DuVernay struck a podcast deal with Spotify last year, but cut ties this month before producing any content for the company. Around the same time, Brené Brown put episodes of her Spotify-exclusive podcasts on hold. Notable critics including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell accused Spotify of spreading harmful misinformation and pulled their music from the platform. Robert Malone made claims about COVID-19 vaccines on The Joe Rogan Experience that they called "false and societally harmful assertions." The backlash against Rogan and the company ramped up after hundreds of doctors, nurses, scientists and educators sent an open letter to Spotify in January urging the company to take more action against the spread of misinformation.
Rogan removed some episodes containing that language from Spotify. Spotify has remained behind Rogan, even after his use of racist language on the show came under the spotlight. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reportedly told employees this month that big exclusive deals such as the Rogan one helped make the company as successful as it is. Episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience can garner tens of millions of listeners.
Rogan's show is Spotify's most popular podcast in 93 countries, including the US. As the report notes, that's more than Spotify paid to buy major podcast production companies Gimlet Media and The Ringer - each of those deals was worth a little under $200 million.
However, in the wake of a firestorm over claims that Rogan was enabling the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, a new report suggests Spotify is paying much more than that.Īccording to The New York Times, the three-and-a-half year deal is worth at least $200 million, with a possibility of additional payments. Initial reports pegged the value of the deal at around $100 million. As soon as Spotify struck a deal with Joe Rogan in 2020 to become the exclusive distributor of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, it was evident that the company was paying him a pretty penny.
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