This is because it works.Īnd it will continue to. The NFL pulls this s-t every two weeks, as does pretty much every other intractable monopoly you’re now familiar with. He’s just following a proven business practice: say you regret something, but continue to do it because, by golly, it’s the RIGHT thing to do. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Man, I dunno how an MMA bro welcoming literally Alex Jones onto his show powers progress,” you’re assuming that Ek buys his own horses-t. Looking at the issue more broadly, it's critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.” We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.
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And I want to make one point very clear: I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. “While 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. CEO Daniel Ek, who has a great name, gave the game away in his statement addressing the Rogan fallout: Spotify let all of those people boycott, because really: how many of their subs are gonna bail because they can’t listen to “Cinnamon Girl” on a drunken whim? The company pulled all of the N-word episodes of Rogan’s show, let Rogan apologize for the racism (somewhat genuine) and the COVID stuff (less so), and pledged $100 million to “ audio content from historically marginalized groups," which sounds generous until you remember that they gave that same amount to ONE GUY, and that they, as a company, are worth 320 times that amount. A handful of others followed suit, with big-name podcasters like Brene Brown and even comedians like Rob Delaney also joining in the loose boycott. In response to Rogan, Neil Young pulled his music from the service, followed quickly by Joni Mitchell. So when Joe Rogan says the N-word at least 24 times on his podcast, or when he tells his audience that young and healthy Americans don’t need to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or when he admits to treating his own COVID with ivermectin - those three things all happened - he’s merely doing what Spotify paid him to do. And by owning podcasts, Spotify can get more of their subscribers to listen to their own offerings, helping the company save on royalty payments to musical artists that long ago were exposed as meager and insulting. For starters, it gives them domain over the modern equivalent of talk radio, which can potentially generate billions of dollars on its own. There are two reasons that Spotify expanded their reach into podcasting. That’s why they paid $100 million for exclusive licensing rights to Rogan’s massive podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience." Spotify doesn’t own that podcast, but they do own a great many others, including every podcast produced by The Ringer and by Gimlet, which had its own scandal only a year ago. Spotify would prefer he continue to be so. Just seeing Rogan’s name on your computer screen is enough to make you sigh audibly, and then click, and then hate yourself for clicking.
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As such, he’s right there alongside Bill Maher, Adam Carolla and Madison Cawthorn as people who trend on a weekly, even daily, basis for either saying something awful or defending someone who did. Rogan started off as a standup comedian and actor, then hosted “Fear Factor” on NBC, then became the main color guy for UFC, and now is arguably the biggest podcaster in America and undeserving heir to Howard Stern’s shock jock crown. If you’re not familiar with Joe Rogan’s work by now, you’ve done a pretty good job of hiding under a rock.