Rogan Controversy Continues: Spotify Will Add Warning…

Rogan Controversy Continues: Spotify Will Add Warning To Covid Content After Boycott, Market Plunge

Topline

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared ways the company will “combat misinformation” in a Sunday afternoon note amid a burgeoning boycott movement and a market plunge, though the company still stands by its “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast criticized for platforming Covid-19 misinformation.

Spotify has come under fire for Covid-19 misinformation shared by Joe Rogan on his podcast. Getty Images

Key Facts

Ek tweeted Sunday that the company has “heard the criticism and we’re implementing changes to combat misinformation,” referring to but not explicitly referencing the recent controversy surrounding Spotify’s “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.

Spotify will add a content warning to episodes talking about Covid-19 and linking to coronavirus podcasts from reputable news sources, Ek said in a note published Sunday, though there is no mention that podcasts that promote false or misleading claims about the coronavirus will be given special treatment compared to episodes featuring factual discussion.

Spotify will only bar Covid-19 misinformation content on one of four grounds, according to its content policy released Sunday: saying that approved vaccines are intended to kill people, claiming Covid-19 is not real, encouraging people to intentionally get Covid-19 or promoting the consumption of bleach for medical treatment.

Several musical artists removed their music from Spotify this week due to Rogan’s claims, including Neil Young, Nils Lofgren, and Joni Mitchell.

Key Background

A group of 270 doctors, professors and scientists published an open letter to Spotify on January 12 to establish a clear misinformation policy in response to rampant coronavirus information on the “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which attracts an estimated 11 million viewers per episode. Critics point to host Joe Rogan’s consistent promotion of ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19 – despite the Food and Drug Administration warning it is not proven to be effective and is dangerous –- and the show bringing on a guest who falsely asserted that mRNA Covid-19 vaccines don’t work. Spotify paid more than $100 million for exclusive streaming rights to Rogan’s podcast in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal. Young demanded his music be pulled from Spotify in a since-deleted letter to Spotify published Monday, telling the company it “can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” referencing “fake information” shared by Rogan on his podcast. Young’s management formally requested Spotify to remove his music Wednesday, and the company confirmed it would meet his request. Young said he has “never been in favor of censorship” in a letter published Friday and he supports Spotify’s right to profit off of Rogan’s podcast but would not be complicit in them doing so.

Big Number

About $2.1 billion. That’s how much Spotify shed in market value after shares fell 6% between Wednesday and Friday following Young’s removal of his songs from Spotify.

Chief Critic

Young found a surprise ally in World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who tweeted support for the artist Thursday and denounced Spotify, writing, “Public and private sector, in particular #socialmedia platforms, media, individuals - we all have a role to play to end this pandemic and infodemic.”