Joe Rogan has\u00a0put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and use of racial slurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said in a message to employees Sunday that Rogan\u2019s racist language was \u201cincredibly hurtful\u201d and that the host was behind the removal of dozens of episodes of \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,\u201d\u00a0Ek said in the note. \u201cAnd I want to make one point very clear \u2014 I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The letter is the clearest indication yet of where Spotify stands on Rogan\u2019s fate with the company as some musicians, including Neil Young and India.Arie, have\u00a0pulled their work from the streaming service\u00a0in protest and others could follow. Spotify reportedly paid $100 million to exclusively host Rogan\u2019s podcast, which now threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company\u2019s strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it\u2019s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress,\u201d Ek wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said he was \u201cdeeply sorry\u201d for the impact the controversy was having on Spotify\u2019s employees.\u00a0Rogan apologized Saturday for his use of the N-word\u00a0on some past episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotify\u2019s move likely won\u2019t sit well with one side of an increasingly polarized country where there are heightened sensitivities on race and vaccine misinformation, experts say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf Spotify says, \u2018We can\u2019t drop him. He has the right to say what he wants,\u2019 that continues on the line where there is this implicit support to say racist things on these platforms,\u201d Adia Harvey Wingfield, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said before Ek\u2019s letter was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The streaming site also has to decide whether offensive words are allowable elsewhere on its app, where songs with racist, homophobic and anti-immigrant messages are available, said John Wihbey, a Northeastern University professor and specialist in emerging technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some real self-examination to be doing beyond Joe,\u201d Wihbey said Sunday. \u201cThis is a big moment of reckoning for entertainment and streaming platforms to see where the window is, what\u2019s over the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his letter, Ek announced an investment of $100 million to license, develop and market \u201cmusic and audio content from historically marginalized groups,\u201d without giving more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rogan\u2019s public troubles started on Jan. 24 when Young asked to have his music removed over concerns Rogan was promoting skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccines. Other artists followed suit, including Joni Mitchell and Roxane Gay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotify said it would soon\u00a0add a warning to all podcasts that discuss COVID-19, directing listeners to factual, up-to-date information from scientists and public health experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scrutiny intensified when a video compilation emerged last week showing Rogan repeatedly using the N-word. Arie posted it on her Instagram account, using the hashtag #DeleteSpotify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey take this money that\u2019s built from streaming, and they pay this guy $100 million, but they pay us like .003% of a penny,\u201d the Grammy winner wrote. \u201cI don\u2019t want to generate money that pays that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rogan apologized in an Instagram video Saturday, saying that the slurs were the \u201cmost regretful and shameful thing\u201d he has ever had to address and that he hasn\u2019t used the N-word in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek told The Wall Street Journal last week that he took responsibility for being \u201ctoo slow to respond\u201d to the criticism over vaccine misinformation. It took the company five days to respond publicly to Young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time,\u201d Ek continued in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rogan is an odd mix of shock jock and host who leads discussions of public policy, arts and culture, Wihbey said, describing his brand as conservative \u201cbro America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments were clearly racist, Wihbey said, but he hopes that Rogan will see this as a chance to substantively discuss race and vaccine issues in future episodes. His audience may not hear the discussions otherwise, Wihbey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do think that assembling this kind of audience is important,\u201d he said. \u201cHe can say things that I think can move the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wingfield said the controversy could be positive if it starts a shift to discussions of racial stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that if Joe Rogan kind of learns from this experience and becomes a driving voice for that conversation, that could be really valuable,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I want to stress again that that\u2019s a pretty big if, and I don\u2019t know if it will come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotify reports having 406 million active monthly users, up nearly 20% from last year, and advertising has grown largely because of podcasts. Musicians still generate the bulk of Spotify\u2019s profits, experts say. The company had 31% of the 524 million music streaming subscriptions worldwide in the second quarter of 2021, more than double that of second-place Apple Music, according to Midia Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotify Technology\u2019s share price fell 0.5% early Monday in after-hours trading. It jumped 9.2% on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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