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Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a letter that was sent to employees on Sunday that despite mega-podcaster Joe Rogan using the N-word in the past, the company would not be removing him from the platform and emphasized, “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”
“There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you,” Ek stated in the memo. “I think it’s important you’re aware that we’ve had conversations with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language.”
“Following these discussions and his own reflections, he chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify. He also issued his own apology over the weekend,” the CEO noted in the statement obtained by Fox Business. “While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”
The statement was released as Rogan issued an apology via a video on his Instagram page, explaining what happened and asserting that he regrets the use of the word in the past.
View this post on Instagram
All of this came down as the calls for censoring “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Spotify intensified after the compilation video was released and went viral.
“Another criticism that I continue to hear from many of you is that it’s not just about The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify; it comes down to our direct relationship with him. In last week’s Town Hall, I outlined to you that we are not the publisher of JRE. But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise. So I’ve been wrestling with how this perception squares with our values,” Ek stated according to Axios.
Spotify, hold strong. You are setting a good example by not cancelling. Now is a time to have a no holds barred conversation about what constitutes a racial slur, how wrong is it in the general scheme of things. Conversation, understanding, dialectic. No more cancelling!
— josh (@josh65200800) February 7, 2022
“I’m making this video to talk about the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly. There’s a video that’s out that’s a compilation of me saying the N-word. It’s a video that’s made of clips taken out of context of me of 12 years of conversations on my podcast, and it’s all smushed together. And it looks f***ing horrible, even to me,” Rogan admitted.
One reason not to censor @joerogan is because he gives a voice to those who are repeatedly shunned by the mainstream media.
He is a defender of free speech and WE NEED HIM more than ever!! pic.twitter.com/UUAQUt2K8U— Yeonmi Park (@YeonmiParkNK) February 6, 2022
After I was beaten by antifa & hospitalized for a brain bleed in 2019, @joerogan offered to give me a voice even though I was unknown. The pile on against him now is because he’s willing to speak with those overlooked by the establishment. Thank you, Joe. https://t.co/oqaSvrbgWf pic.twitter.com/uKfcrbcBbu
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) February 3, 2022
Yes, I will die on this hill. You cannot buy authenticity and love. The reason people *love* Joe Rogan is because the conversations he has on his podcast reflect the conversations that people have in real life.
For starters, the format. It's long and searching and not set up pic.twitter.com/MguXLYUloF
— Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) February 6, 2022
In response to the blowup, Ek said Spotify will set aside $100 million for licensing, development, and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups.
“If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds,” Ek wrote.
“We’ve been doing a great deal of work in this area already but I think we can do even more. So I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups,” he added. “This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas. While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether.”
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