Spotify creates an inherent tension as it postures itself as both a platform and a publisher.Ī platform would be something like Twitter - anyone can post a tweet, so long as it follows the platform guidelines. The blurry line between publishers and platforms This is a good gesture, but it also means that Spotify is inadvertently leaning into its decision to act as a publisher. Now, in an attempt to buy Spotify some goodwill during a PR crisis, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek committed to investing $100 million into audio content from underrepresented groups. Many of the slurs were uttered in older shows, but still, as recently as January, Rogan has made controversial comments when sharing his opinions about the use of the word “Black.” Spotify belatedly published platform rules - something that the most dominant music and podcast streaming service probably should have made public already - which prohibit the spread of false or deceptive information about COVID-19 and other illnesses.Īs a result, Rogan asked Spotify to remove over 100 episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience” for various reasons, including the use of racial slurs. The streaming service is learning the hard way that it’s counterintuitive to act as both a platform and a publisher - now, in trying to reassert its status as a platform, it’s acting even more like a publisher.īack in 2020, Spotify was celebrating its success when it signed one of the most popular podcasters, Joe Rogan, to an exclusive, multi-year podcasting deal worth $100 million for “The Joe Rogan Experience.” But the controversial host has repeatedly platformed misinformation about COVID-19, recently prompting 270 physicians and scientists to sign an open letter to Spotify demanding that it institute misinformation policies, which then led high-profile figures like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to pull their content from Spotify.

As our Equity podcast recently asked, “How many times must Spotify step on a rake?”

Joe rogan contract spotify