The music platform’s CEO, Daniel Ek, defended the exclusive partnership with the American television host on Thursday, but condemned his controversial views on immunization, which he considers “inflammatory.”
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended the exclusivity agreement he made with controversial host Joe Rogan, which he thinks critical for his streaming service, to his staff, while emphasizing that he disagrees with him on “a lot of things.”
These remarks from Spotify’s CEO were made public on Thursday, as the action on Wall Street continued to unravel in the aftermath of disappointing expectations, as well as the issue surrounding Joe Rogan’s podcast, which has been accused by some of spreading false information about the Covid.
The podcast has no “editorial control.”
Daniel Ek addressed his staff, who were “disappointed or angered” by Joe Rogan’s comments, telling them that while Spotify had inked an exclusive deal worth an estimated $100 million, the platform did not have “editorial control” over the show.
According to a transcript of the conversation obtained by the website The Rod, he added, “There are a lot of things Joe Rogan said that I completely disagree with and find highly disrespectful.” “We don’t pre-qualify his guests, and we have his content as soon as he uploads it (…) We will take appropriate action if this content breaches our guidelines “, continues Spotify’s founder, emphasizing that “there are a number of Joe Rogan episodes that you won’t find on Spotify” as a result of this.
Joe Rogan has received a number of complaints.
The podcast has 11 million subscribers, making it the platform’s most popular worldwide. Joe Rogan is accused of deterring young people from being vaccinated and promoting the use of the illegal coronavirus medication ivermectin. More than 200 American health professionals had recently raised the alarm after he invited Robert Malone, an anti-vaccine doctor, on his show.
Neil Young, an American-Canadian musician, objected by requesting that Spotify remove all of his songs. He was shortly joined by his former collaborators Crosby, Stills, and Nash, as well as vocalist Joni Mitchell, resulting in a social media movement to unsubscribe from Spotify.
New measures have been announced.
In an attempt to put out the fire, Spotify has announced steps such as the inclusion of links to real and scientifically sourced information in all of its podcasts referencing the Covid.
Joe Rogan’s talk show will not be deprogrammed at this time. “Joe wasn’t even on our platform a little over a year ago, but it had long been one of the most sought-after podcasts by Spotify listeners,” Daniel Ek said.