Joe Rogan has issued his response to the recent controversy that has surrounded his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and criticism that it is a platform that promotes virus misinformation.
Spotify shares have plummeted since artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell withdrew their music from the platform in protest, with other content creators including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also voicing their concerns about Rogan broadcasting controversial interviews about COVID-19.
“These podcasts are very strange because they’re just conversations,” Rogan has said, in an Instagram video.
“And oftentimes I have no idea what I’m going to talk about until I sit down and talk to people. And that’s why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I’m literally having them in real time, but I do my best and they’re just conversations, and I think that’s also the appeal of the show. It’s one of the things that makes it interesting. So I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time, and I’m very sorry that this is happening to them and that they’re taking so much from it.”
On Spotify’s part, Chief Executive Daniel Ek has announced that the platform with be adding content advisories before podcasts that discuss COVID-19. Without directly mentioning Rogan or the musicians removing their catalogues, Ek has described this move as ‘a new effort to combat misinformation’.
“Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,” Mr Ek wrote in a post over the weekend.
“It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”
