Spotify CEO Apologizes to Employees for Joe Rogan Backlash

They . said in a letter shared with wall street journal A company spokesperson said they have no plans to remove Star Podcaster from the streaming platform and are committed to spending $100 million on music and audio content from historically marginalized groups.

“I have no words enough to describe the way ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ controversy affects each and every one of you,” Mr Eck said on Sunday, referring to Mr Rogan’s podcast to Spotify staff. How sorry I am for that.” “Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful, I want to make it clear that they do not represent the values ​​of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you exhausted, frustrated and Feeling unheard.”

The Spotify executive’s remarks doubled down on his statement last week that Spotify is an open platform, despite an exclusive deal to distribute Mr. Rogan’s podcast and that silencing Mr. Rogan is not the right choice. Mr Eck’s letter follows Spotify’s acknowledgment that there was a delay in addressing the outrage sparked by rocker Neil Young on Mr Rogan’s show about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.

Mr Eck said in his letter that Mr Rogan decided to remove certain episodes from Spotify after discussions with the company and Mr Rogan’s own reflections. Tracking site jremissing.com says 113 episodes of Mr Rogan have been pulled from Spotify since Friday.

Mr Rogan apologized for the second time in a week on Saturday after a compilation video surfaced showing how he and some of his guests used the N-word several times on his show. In a video on his Instagram account, Mr Rogan said he offered “my sincere and humble apologies” for “the most regrettable and shameful thing” I have had to talk about publicly.

He said the clips were taken out of context and were based on 12 years of conversation. He added that they look “awesome, even to me”.

The impact of Mr. Rogan’s show, and how much of Spotify’s responsibility for its content, has attracted significant attention in recent days. Several artists, including Mr Young, Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, have said they want to remove their content from Spotify over misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccines spread by Mr Rogan.

Singer-songwriter India Arie said she pulled her music off the stage because she protested the language Mr Rogan used around race and how much money he makes from Spotify. He shared the compilation video of Mr Rogan using racial slurs at several instances on his show, sparking the latest outrage.

“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and agree with his decision to remove the last episode from our platform, I realize that some would like more. And I want to make one point very clear- I believe Not that silencing Joe is the answer,” said Mr. Ek. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it is critical thinking and open debate that is the real and empowers the necessary progress.”

Last week Spotify publicized its content policies and created advisories for pandemic-related shows that send listeners to an information center about COVID-19.

In 2020, Spotify paid $100 million, according to people familiar with the deal, to exclusively host “The Joe Rogan Experience” on its platform. Podcasts have been instrumental to Spotify’s growth and expansion beyond music streaming. Mr Ek reiterated in his letter to employees that he wanted the company to become the world’s largest audio platform.

Spotify said “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the No. 1 show in 93 markets. In 2021, Mr Rogan’s show was the most-listened podcast every month in more than 30 markets, including the US, said a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Rogan’s listenership has increased by 75% from the time he joined Spotify’s platform in September 2020 to December 2021, the person said.

Mr Ek said that having an open platform was a core value of Spotify and that controversies were inevitable. Still, he said, the company could do more to elevate creators from under-represented communities and diverse backgrounds.

News Corp’s Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has entered into a content partnership with Spotify’s Gimlet Media Unit.