In the wake of the furor, Spotify said it had removed problematic episodes from its library, and that it will start adding advisories to content on its platform. “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek wrote in an internal memo that was obtained by The New York Times. Rogan eventually apologized, but Spotify and its CEO Daniel Ek stood by Rogan. Meanwhile, a compilation video of Rogan using racial slurs over the years also made waves online. It was a lot of bad press for the company, and many users started pondering a switch from Spotify to another platform. In protest, musicians like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Graham Nash, among others, announced that they were pulling their music from the platform. Malone’s statements prompted a global community of healthcare professionals and academics to write an open letter, asking Spotify to put in place content policies to curb the spread of hazardous misinformation. Rogan himself was embroiled in a similar situation last year after making contentious vaccine-related comments. Robert Malone, a controversial virologist, on to the show, resulting in an anti-vaccine controversy. Lately, things have been less than favorable for both parties. The deal appears to have worked for Spotify as it locks horns with names like Google, Apple, and Amazon to lead the lucrative podcast market, and all the revenue that comes with it. For that hefty sum of money, Spotify ported over the entire library of Rogan’s podcast to its streaming platform, even though some of them have now been removed. The amount may have been even higher, says the report, citing sources familiar with developments. It appears that the bid to land Rogan was twice as expensive than previously reported. According to The New York Times, Spotify paid “at least $200 million” for the three-and-a-half-year exclusive platform partnership. Related: Joe Rogan Says Timing Makes the $100 Million Spotify Deal ‘Feel Gross’
Spotify has praised Rogan and the show in the past, noting in April last year that the podcast had “ performed above expectations.” Interestingly, Spotify didn’t push Rogan’s wildly popular show behind a paywall, hosting both the audio and video version on its platform. Rogan is the biggest name in the podcasting industry, and as per Nielsen's 2021 Q3 Media Ratings, Rogan's podcast brings in an average audience of 11 million listeners per episode.
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