Who gets to be heard? Spotify weighs in on Joe Rogan debate.
Joe Rogan has put 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.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said in a message to employees Sunday that Mr. Rogan鈥檚 racist language was 鈥渋ncredibly hurtful鈥� and that the host was behind the removal of dozens of episodes of 鈥淭he Joe Rogan Experience.鈥�
鈥淲hile 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,鈥� Mr. Ek said in the note. 鈥淎nd I want to make one point very clear聽鈥� I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.鈥�
The letter is the clearest indication yet of where Spotify stands on Mr. Rogan鈥檚 fate with the company as some musicians, including Neil Young and India.Arie, have pulled their work from the streaming service in protest and others could follow. Spotify reportedly paid $100 million to exclusively host Mr. Rogan鈥檚 podcast, which now threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company鈥檚 strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio.
鈥淲e 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鈥檚 critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress,鈥� Mr. Ek wrote.
He said he was 鈥渄eeply sorry鈥� for the impact the controversy was having on Spotify鈥檚 employees. Mr. Rogan apologized Saturday for his use of the N-word on some past episodes.
Spotify鈥檚 move likely won鈥檛 sit well with one side of an increasingly polarized country where there are heightened sensitivities on race and vaccine misinformation, experts say.
鈥淚f Spotify says, 鈥榃e can鈥檛 drop him. He has the right to say what he wants,鈥� that continues on the line where there is this implicit support to say racist things on these platforms,鈥� Adia Harvey Wingfield, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said before Mr. Ek鈥檚 letter was released.
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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 some real self-examination to be doing beyond Joe,鈥� Professor Wihbey said Sunday. 鈥淭his is a big moment of reckoning for entertainment and streaming platforms to see where the window is, what鈥檚 over the line.鈥�
In his letter, Mr. Ek announced an investment of $100 million to license, develop, and market 鈥渕usic and audio content from historically marginalized groups,鈥� without giving more details.
Mr. Rogan鈥檚 public troubles started on Jan. 24 when Mr. Young asked to have his music removed over concerns Mr. Rogan was promoting skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccines. Other artists followed suit, including Joni Mitchell and Roxane Gay.
Spotify said it would soon add a warning to all podcasts that discuss COVID-19, directing listeners to factual, up-to-date information from scientists and public health experts.
The scrutiny intensified when a video compilation emerged last week showing Mr. Rogan repeatedly using the N-word. Ms. Arie posted it on her Instagram account, using the hashtag #DeleteSpotify.
鈥淭hey take this money that鈥檚 built from streaming, and they pay this guy $100 million, but they pay us like .003% of a penny,鈥� the Grammy winner wrote. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to generate money that pays that.鈥�
Mr. Rogan apologized in an Instagram video Saturday, saying that the slurs were the 鈥渕ost regretful and shameful thing鈥� he has ever had to address and that he hasn鈥檛 used the N-word in years.
Mr. Ek told The Wall Street Journal last week that he took responsibility for being 鈥渢oo slow to respond鈥� to the criticism over vaccine misinformation. It took the company five days to respond publicly to Mr. Young.
鈥淚t鈥檚 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,鈥� Mr. Ek continued in a statement.
Mr. Rogan is an odd mix of shock jock and host who leads discussions of public policy, arts, and culture, Professor Wihbey said, describing his brand as conservative 鈥渂ro America.鈥�
His comments were clearly racist, Professor Wihbey said, but he hopes that Mr. 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, Professor Wihbey said.
鈥淚 do think that assembling this kind of audience is important,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e can say things that I think can move the needle.鈥�
Dr. Wingfield said the controversy could be positive if it starts a shift to discussions of racial stereotypes.
鈥淚 think that if Joe Rogan kind of learns from this experience and becomes a driving voice for that conversation, that could be really valuable,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I want to stress again that that鈥檚 a pretty big if, and I don鈥檛 know if it will come to that.鈥�
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鈥檚 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.
Spotify Technology鈥檚 share price fell 0.5% early Monday in after-hours trading. It jumped 9.2% on Friday.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
