‘Not dictating discourse’: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek sides with Joe Rogan

As a wave of ageing rockers quit the platform, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has justified his support for podcaster Joe Rogan, proudly claiming that the site is “not in the business of dictating the discourse” of creators on its platforms.

“I know some of you feel disappointed, or angry, or even hurt, by some of this content and the fact that it remains on our platform,” according to audio obtained by The Verge, Ek told staffers in a passionate 15-minute speech at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

“There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” Ek admitted, calling the fallout “incredibly complicated” and a learning moment.

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However, Rogan, a 54-year-old UFC commentator, is “by a wide margin” the “number one podcaster in the world,” according to Ek, who noted that he was in the lead in 93 markets.

Ek acknowledged that the impact is “incredibly complicated,” but defended Rogan.

While Rogan’s exclusive arrangement with Spotify is “a hard pill for many to take,” it has been critical in achieving Spotify’s goal of having “50 million creators and a billion users,” according to Ek.

“If you want even a shot at achieving our bold ambitions, it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with,” he told his staff, according to a transcript of the speech.

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“Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad,” he warned.

He said it was “really critical that creators are able to use their voice independently” and that Spotify has “diverse voices.”

“We’re not in the business of dictating the discourse that these creators want to have on their shows,” he said.

While the Rogan controversy revolves around allegations of misinformation about COVID-19, he warned that there was a slew of other divisive topics that will prompt calls for censorship.

“If we only wanted to make content that we all like and agree with, we will need to eliminate religion, and politics, and comedy, and health, and environment, and education,” Ek said, adding that “the list goes on and on and on.”

“Spotify is for allowing conversation and sparking thought,” he was speaking about the platform, which has 11 million artists and 3.6 million podcasts.

When 76-year-old rocker Neil Young issued an ultimatum, Ek famously sided with Rogan, resulting in the singer of “Rockin’ in the Free World” removing his catalogue.

Also read | Joe Rogan apologises for use of ‘n- word’ and racist slurs after old videos resurface

Young was soon joined by others, including David Crosby, 80, Steven Stills, 77, and Graham Nash, 80, as well as 78-year-old folk singer Joni Mitchell, who were all members of his former band.

Jon Stewart, the outspoken comedian, is the latest to declare the rockers’ rebellion a “mistake.”

“Don’t leave. Don’t abandon. Don’t censor. Engage,” he said on his own podcast, “The Problem With Jon Stewart.”

He defended Rogan as a “person you can engage with” and “not an ideologue in any way,” calling the criticism “overblown.”

“This overreaction to Rogan I think is a mistake. I really do.”