After a week of continued publicity, Spotify is not off the hook with entertainers just yet. The streaming platform found itself in hot water and playing defense after protests over its extremely popular The Joe Rogan Experience podcast took place, the bulk of which centered around Covid-19 vaccine information (labeled by many as “misinformation) provided by the podcast host and some of his guests. Singer and songwriter Neil Young was the first major celebrity to take a definitive stand against Spotify and pull his music from the platform out of protest — and now Spotify just received more bad news. But what does it mean for the future of the platform?
Although Rogan has proven himself a controversial figure for some in the past, his recent shows featuring guests virologist Robert Malone and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough set forth a series of protests, including one in which more than 200 scientists, medical professionals and science educators signed an open letter to Spotify requesting that the platform stop spreading Rogan’s “baseless conspiracy theories.” In the letter statements were made such as, […] This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform.”
Young was one of the first musicians to use his influence on the platform in protest of Rogan’s messaging. He pulled his music from Spotify and also urged Spotify employees to quit their jobs and “get out of that place before it eats up your soul.” Now, just a few days later, one of Young’s contemporaries has joined him. Jodi Mitchell issued a statement of support for Young and said, “”I Stand With Neil Young! I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify.” She continued, “”Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
Since Young and Mitchell came out in protest, Rogan has issued a nine-minute video on his Spotify channel in which he vows to do better and include a more diverse range of guests that support various opinions. Then another bomb hit: footage emerged of Rogan using a racial slur on past episodes. But Spotify, which signed a $100 million deal with Rogan to exclusively stream his podcast, is standing by podcaster. After the racial slur controversy, Spotify issued a statement saying it would invest $100 million in audio “from historically marginalized groups.” But, so far, the platform has no plans of canceling TJRE. ““I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Daniel Ek, the company’s chief executive, wrote in the memo. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
