Spotify is doing damage control after losing billions in market value amid the Joe Rogan podcast fallout, adding disclaimers to content mentioning COVID-19.

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

Spotify in damage control mode, Joe Rogan apologizes over podcast controversy

Jan 31, 2022

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

Spotify is doing damage control after losing billions in market value amid the Joe Rogan podcast fallout, adding disclaimers to content that mentions COVID-19 and directing listeners to a COVID-19 resource hub.

At issue are episodes from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that critics say help spread misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. The controversy gained widespread attention after Grammy-winning rocker Neil Young delivered an ultimatum to Spotify: Get rid of Joe Rogan or he’d deplatform.

Spotify agreed to remove Young’s music last week and subsequently lost more than $2 billion in market value after the stock price slid. On Sunday, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek released a statement announcing the company’s approach to COVID-19, which included the new disclaimers. On Monday morning, the stock rebounded, recovering the previous week’s losses.

While never mentioning Rogan in his statement, Ek wrote, “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor.”

Rogan also took to Instagram to apologize in a 10-minute video Sunday.

“If there’s anything I’ve done that I can do better, is have more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones,” Rogan said.

A self-proclaimed Young fan, Rogan expressed remorse over upsetting artists with his content and agreed with the changes Spotify made.

“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry, and if you enjoy the podcast, thank you,” Rogan said.

More iconic artists are trying to pull their songs from the streaming platform, including Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren. Brené Brown is also pressing pause on producing more Spotify content; and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have a $25 million Spotify podcast deal, said that for months they’ve expressed concerns over COVID-19 misinformation to the company.

Rogan signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2020 that’s reported to be worth $100 million and had the No. 1 podcast on Spotify in 2021.

Neil Young, meanwhile, is now promoting a deal with Amazon Music after pulling his songs from Spotify.

Tags: Pandemic

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: WHEN NEIL YOUNG SAID IT’S JOE ROGAN OR ME…FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, IT’S NO WONDER SPOTIFY SIDED WITH ROGAN.

THE PODCASTER HAS AN EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH THE STREAMING SERVICE WORTH A REPORTED 100-MILLION DOLLARS – AND HAD THE #1 PODCAST ON SPOTIFY IN 2021.

BUT THEN SPOTIFY LOST BILLIONS IN MARKET VALUE OVER THE FALLOUT, ITS STOCK PRICE TAKING A TUMBLE LAST WEEK.

AND MORE ICONIC ARTISTS ARE TRYING TO PULL THEIR SONGS – WHILE PODCASTER BRENÉ BROWN IS PRESSING PAUSE ON HER CONTENT, AND PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE – WHO ALSO HAVE A SPOTIFY DEAL – SAY THEY’VE EXPRESSED CONCERNS OVER COVID-19 MISINFORMATION. THE ROOT ISSUE WITH ROGAN’S PODCAST.

SPOTIFY’S CEO IS IN DAMAGE CONTROL MODE, ON SUNDAY NIGHT ANNOUNCING THE STREAMING SERVICE WILL ADD A CONTENT ADVISORY TO ANY PODCAST THAT TALKS ABOUT COVID-19 – DIRECTING LISTENERS TO A RESOURCE HUB.

FOR THE RECORD, IT’S SOMETHING OTHER MAJOR PLATFORMS HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE BULK OF THE PANDEMIC. BUT A RESPONSE NEVERTHELESS INVESTORS SEEMED TO LIKE, AS THE STOCK BOUNCED BACK MONDAY MORNING.

HE NEVER MENTIONED ROGAN, BUT DANIEL EK DID SAY “IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE DON’T TAKE ON THE POSITION OF BEING CONTENT CENSOR.”

JOE ROGAN: if i pissed you off i’m sorry and if you enjoy the podcast, thank you.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: WHILE ROGAN HIMSELF RELEASED A 10 MINUTE INSTAGRAM VIDEO SUNDAY DEFENDING TWO OF HIS PODCAST EPISODES IN QUESTION, WHILE ALSO AGREEING WITH THE CHANGES SPOTIFY IS MAKING, NOTING HE’S SORRY ARTISTS LIKE NEIL YOUNG FEEL THIS WAY, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HE’S A NEIL YOUNG FAN.

JOE ROGAN: If there’s anything I’ve done that I can do better, is have more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: WHILE SPOTIFY IS STANDING BY ITS MAN – NEIL YOUNG IS NOW PROMOTING AN AMAZON MUSIC DEAL AFTER PULLING OUT OF SPOTIFY.

I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO AND IT’S JUST BUSINESS.