Joe Rogan
Spotify CEO Defends Handling of Joe Rogan COVID Controversy
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended how the streaming service has chosen to handle the scandal swirling around Joe Rogan and his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which is hosted exclusively on the platform. “I think the important part here is that we don’t change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle, or calls from anyone else,” Ek said during an earnings call on Wednesday, according to reporting by the New York Times. “Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space. And I do believe they’re right for our platform. And while Joe has a massive audience — he is actually the number one podcast in more than 90 markets — he also has to abide by those policies.” The fact that Rogan’s po...
Neil Young Vs. Joe Rogan and Spotify: The Rock, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, and More Draw Battle Lines
If you’ve somehow avoided hearing about it thus far — and if so, we are very jealous — Joe Rogan’s controversial inclinations have come to a head in the past few days. The comedian, whose The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify’s top-streamed exclusive podcast, has prompted a fleet of musicians to pull their music from the platform, most notably Neil Young. Other musicians have since followed Young’s lead, citing Rogan’s continuous misinformation regarding COVID-19 (among countless other eyebrow-raising remarks). Rogan posted a video in response to the controversy, promising he’d invite “more experts with differing opinions right after [he has] the controversial ones,” and that he would “do [his] best to make sure [he’s] researched these topics.” A self-proclaimed fan of Young, Rogan also...
Graham Nash and India.Arie Pull Music From Spotify
Graham Nash and India Arie are the latest artists to pull their music from Spotify due to Joe Rogan. However, their reasoning for doing so is very different. Nash said in a statement that he “completely agrees” with his Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young bandmate Neil Young after “having heard the COVID disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify. I am requesting that my solo recordings be removed from the service.” Young was the first of various artists to remove their music from the streaming giant, because of Rogan’s alleged spreading of COVID misinformation, but also in protest against the unfair ways Spotify pays musicians. Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren followed Young not longer after. Arie shared a statement on Instagram that she is removing her work off Spotify because Young “opened ...
Joe Rogan Comments On Artists Ditching Spotify, Apologizes To DSP
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: LIONEL BONAVENTURE / Getty Joe Rogan attracts plenty of attention not only due to the massive popularity of his podcast but also his assumed stances against the handling of COVID-19 in the mainstream. However, his presence or Spotify has been somewhat disruptive to the business and Rogan took time to apologize to the DSP as a result. Rogan, who hosts the popular The Joe Rogan Experience, entered into an exclusive $100 million deal with the audio streaming service as part of its slate of original podcast programming. Rogan built an audience based on candid conversations and the occasional controversial guests, and part of that is why singer Neil Young opted to remove his entire catalog from Spotify. Related Stories Young says his decision to take his music...
Joe Rogan on Spotify Disclaimer on Podcasts: ‘I’m Very Happy With That’
Following the controversy surrounding Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their music from Spotify, Joe Rogan responded to the legendary musicians who are against Rogan’s alleged spreading of COVID misinformation on his podcast through the same streaming service. Last week, Young wrote an open letter claiming he wanted to remove his music from Spotify because of Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, on which he has interviewed numerous people and discussed the COVID vaccine. Mitchell and Nils Lofgren also took their music off the service to support Young and his opinion. Last night, Rogan responded in an 11-minute-long Instagram video. Rogan said his podcast is a series of conversations intended to be entertaining. Alongside interviewing artists, Rogan has interviewed medical p...
Spotify Adds “Content Advisory” on COVID-19 Content in Wake of Neil Young Boycott
Spotify has announced that it will begin adding a “content advisory” to all podcasts that include information about COVID-19, following the company’s decision to continue streaming The Joe Rogan Experience despite a boycott from Neil Young. In a new open letter issued on Sunday (January 30th), CEO Daniel Ek also revealed that Spotify is making the company’s “platform rules” public for all to see. As previously reported, Young called out Spotify for presenting Rogan’s podcast, which has been criticized for disseminating questionable information about COVID-19 and its vaccines. The legendary rocker issued an ultimatum to the company to either remove his music or the podcast. As he put it, “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” Spotify promptly removed Young’s music, stating, “We want all ...
Neil Young’s Battle with Polio May Have Colored His Stand Against COVID Misinformation
Neil Young has taken a stand against Spotify and Joe Rogan over COVID-19 falsehoods, following through on his ultimatum to leave the streaming giant if it continued to platform The Joe Rogan Experience. This will come as no surprise to longtime fans; Young has long been a proponent of vaccination, going back to his battle with polio when he was about five years old. According to his 2012 memoir Waging Heavy Peace, the “Harvest Moon” singer was diagnosed with polio in 1951 and spent time in Toronto’s Sick Children’s Hospital as he battled the life-threatening disease. He ultimately recovered, though the disease left him with a slight limp. The polio vaccine was first widely disseminated in 1955, and Young was one of the beneficiaries. As he recently wrote on his website,...
Neil Young on Joe Rogan, Spotify Spat: ‘I Support Free Speech’
Neil Young removed his catalog from Spotify this week after Spotify podcast host Joe Rogan made skeptical remarks about the Covid-19 vaccines. But in a new letter posted on his Archives website, the veteran rocker clarified that his qualms are with Spotify profiting from Rogan’s pot-stirring just as it profits from inferior audio quality. “Amazon, Apple Music and Qobuz deliver up to 100% of the music today and it sounds a lot better than the shitty degraded and neutered sound of Spotify,” Young wrote. “If you support Spotify, you are destroying an art form. Business over art … I met Daniel Ek when he started Spotify. It sounded to me like he was really going to be getting into it. That was a long time ago. I wonder what happened.” Young also addressed the issue of censorship. In recent day...
Disturbed’s David Draiman Applauds Spotify for “Making the Right Call” in Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan Decision
After receiving an ultimatum from rock legend Neil Young to choose between his music and Joe Rogan’s podcast, Spotify decided to keep streaming The Joe Rogan Experience and remove the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s music. Now, Disturbed singer David Draiman has weighed in on the decision, applauding Spotify for “making the right call.” As previously reported, Young issued an open letter deriding Rogan for spreading false COVID information, asking Spotify to remove his music because he didn’t want to be associated with the same streaming service that profits from Rogan’s podcast. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” wrote Young. “Please act on this immedi...
Neil Young’s Music Pulled From Spotify Following His Joe Rogan Ultimatum
Two days after vowing that Spotify would have to choose between him and podcaster Joe Rogan, Neil Young has yanked his music from the platform. On Monday, in an open letter posted then removed from his Neil Young Archives website, the veteran rocker expressed his dismay at the outspoken podcaster spreading “disinformation” about COVID-19. In the now-deleted letter, he wrote, “Rogan or Young. Not both.” Now, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the streaming giant is in the process of removing Young’s music from its platform. “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users,” a rep for Spotify told SPIN. “With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve r...
Neil Young Demands Spotify Remove His Music Over Spread of Vaccine Disinformation
Neil Young has relaunched his crusade against Spotify, though this time, it’s not about audio quality. The rock veteran has asked the streaming giant to remove his music from the platform, citing “fake information about vaccines” the company has allowed to spread. Young delivered the request in an open letter to his management and record label, though the letter seems to have been removed from his website. Per Rolling Stone, however, Young writes: “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them. Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.” “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” You...
Neil Young Wants His Music Off Spotify Over Joe Rogan Vaccine Misinformation
Neil Young wants his music pulled from Spotify, citing the spread of vaccine misinformation on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast as the cause. “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in an open letter to his management team and record label posted to his Neil Young Archives website, according to Rolling Stone. The post has since been removed. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform.” Explore Explore Neil Young See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Rogan, who signed a $100 million deal in May 2020 giving Spotify exclusive rights to — but not ownership of — his hugely popular podcast, has come under fire for spreading misinformation on his show about COVID-19 and vaccines. In addit...
