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Google PlaySpotify CEO Daniel Ek defended the streaming platform’s position on the Joe Rogan controversy, though not publicly.
During an earnings call on Wednesday, Ek addressed the issue, which led Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and other artists to ask that their music be removed from Spotify due to Rogan spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
“In general, what I would say is, it’s too early to know what the impact may be,” Ek said, per the New York Times. “And usually when we’ve had controversies in the past, those are measured in months and not days. But I feel good about where we are in relation to that and obviously top line trends looks very healthy still.”
Since the uproar, Spotify has introduced a content advisory for podcasts that discuss the virus.
“I think the important part here is that we don’t change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle, or calls from anyone else,” Ek said. “Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space. And I do believe they’re right for our platform. And while Joe has a massive audience—he is actually the number one podcast in more than 90 markets—he also has to abide by those policies.”
According to the Verge, Ek took the call as an opportunity to reframe the narrative, explaining that Spotify is a platform that’s in the business of distribution. He also said he doesn’t view the streamer as Rogan’s publisher, so Spotify doesn’t assume any editorial responsibility for the Joe Rogan Experience.
“I understand the premise that because we have an exclusive deal with him, it’s really easy to conclude we endorse every word he says and believe the opinions expressed by his guests. That’s absolutely not the case,“ Ek said. “We’re defining an entirely new space of tech and media. We’re a very different kind of company, and the rules of the road are being written as we innovate.”
He continued, explaining that Spotify has no authority over Rogan’s guests and the content of his episodes. “A publisher has editorial control over a creator’s content—they can take action on the content before it’s even published. Just like any other creator, we get his content when he publishes, and then we review it, and if it violates our policies, we take the appropriate enforcement actions.”
Elsewhere, Ek didn’t defend Rogan’s perspective, saying, “There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” and that a “number” of JRE episodes have been taken down from Spotify because they are in breach of the platform’s rules.
