Joe Rogan controversy: Spotify grows Exodus as Graham Nash signs return

Young, 76, accused Rogan of spreading vaccine misinformation on his show — called “The Joe Rogan Experience” — distributed by Spotify. In response, Munch publicized its internal content rules and Rogan pledged more balance and research. Nash said he agreed with his former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates “after hearing the COVID disinformation spread on Spotify by Joe Rogan,” according to a statement from the singer, and is requesting that his solo recordings be made. be removed from the stage. Arie intends to leave Spotify because of Rogan’s “language about race,” Arie wrote in a note on Instagram.

The joint exodus further escalated controversy over the streaming service’s support for Rogan and intensified questions about Spotify’s responsibility for monitoring the content delivered on its platform to millions of listeners. The hashtag #spotifydeleted started trending on social media after Young removed his music from the service. While it’s unclear whether all artists’ labels will comply with their requests, Aerie’s efforts to draw attention to Rogan’s comments on race signs are spreading beyond COVID misinformation.

Ari wrote, “Neil Young opened a door I must go through. I believe in freedom of expression. However, I find it problematic for reasons other than Joe Rogan’s COVID interviews. For me, it’s around race. It’s their language too.”

Rogan, 54, was criticized last month after an interview with Jordan Peterson, a conservative YouTube personality. In that conversation, Rogan said it was “very strange” that anyone would call themselves black unless they were from the “darkest place” in Africa. David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, said in an e-mailed statement last week that the comments and Spotify’s desire to provide a platform for such rhetoric are “deeply disturbing.” “Their friends like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson can describe it as they want – like ‘they’re just asking questions’ or ‘they’re just discussing skin color’ – but the simple reality is that they Doing so to perpetuate a system where heterosexual white men are in positions of power, acting as if they are the target victims.”

Separately this week, the creators of an award-winning podcast “Science Versus” announced on Twitter that they would focus on fact-checking Rogan and other sources of misinformation on the platform, and halt production of other content. The show is produced by Gimlet, which Spotify bought in 2019.

Spotify has invested billions in podcasting and advertising technology to turn its money-losing music platform into a profitable audio service. It signed a deal with Rogan in 2020 worth more than $100 million. Conversely, many musicians say their streaming royalties are too low.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.