"He can say things that I think can move the needle.Songwriting legend Neil Young became the first major artist to pull his music from the service last week, citing Spotify’s “public misinformation and lies about COVID” in a statement on his website. "I do think that assembling this kind of audience is important," he said. His audience may not hear the discussions otherwise, Wihbey said. His comments were clearly racist, Wihbey said, but he hopes that Rogan will see this as a chance to substantively discuss race and vaccine issues in future episodes. Rogan is an odd mix of shock jock and host who leads discussions of public policy, arts and culture, Wihbey said, describing his brand as conservative "bro America." "It's become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time," Ek continued in a statement. It took the company five days to respond publicly to Young. Arie posted it on her Instagram account, using the hashtag #DeleteSpotify.Įk told The Wall Street Journal last week that he took responsibility for being "too slow to respond" to the criticism over vaccine misinformation.
The scrutiny intensified when a video compilation emerged last week showing Rogan repeatedly using the N-word. Spotify said it would soon add a warning to all podcasts that discuss COVID-19, directing listeners to factual, up-to-date information from scientists and public health experts. Other artists followed suit, including Joni Mitchell and Roxane Gay. Rogan's public troubles started last month when Young asked to have his music removed over concerns Rogan was promoting skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines.
should move to Racist video intensifies scrutiny Sen. Ted Cruz posted his support on social media for Rogan to make the move to Rumble. Rumble, popular among conservative viewers, has attracted other prominent figures in the past, such as Rand Paul and Marjorie Taylor Greene, after they were suspended on other platforms. Spotify to remove Neil Young's music after complaint over Joe Rogan.In his letter, Ek announced an investment of $100 million US to license, develop and market "music and audio content from historically marginalized groups," without giving more details. "This is a big moment of reckoning for entertainment and streaming platforms to see where the window is, what's over the line." "There's some real self-examination to be doing, beyond Joe," Wihbey said Sunday. The streaming site also has to decide whether offensive words are allowable elsewhere on its app, where songs with racist, homophobic and anti-immigrant messages are available, said John Wihbey, a Northeastern University professor and specialist in emerging technologies. Louis, speaking before Ek's letter was released. He has the right to say what he wants,' that continues on the line where there is this implicit support to say racist things on these platforms," said Adia Harvey Wingfield, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Spotify's move likely won't sit well with one side of an increasingly polarized country where there are heightened sensitivities on race and vaccine misinformation, experts say. Joe Rogan apologizes after video shows him repeatedly saying racial slur.'I'm not trying to be controversial': Joe Rogan responds to Spotify protests, COVID advisories.Spotify reportedly paid $100 million US to exclusively host Rogan's podcast, which now threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company's strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio. The letter is the clearest indication yet of where Spotify stands on Rogan's fate with the company as some musicians, including Neil Young and India Arie, have pulled their work from the streaming service in protest and others could follow. "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," Ek said in the note. In a message to employees on Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said that Rogan's racist language was "incredibly hurtful" and that the host was behind the removal of dozens of episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience. Joe Rogan has put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-vaccine comments and use of racial slurs.