- Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told staff the platform won’t be “silencing” Joe Rogan following criticism.
- Artists pulled their music from Spotify over Rogan’s COVID-19 misinformation and racial language.
- Ek said the platform would be investing $100 million for content from “marginalized groups.”
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the company will invest $100 million for “licensing, development, marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups,” according to an internal memo obtained by Axios reporter Sara Fischer.
The move follows criticism of the platform over Joe Rogan’s podcast. Ek told employees in the memo that he won’t be “silencing” Rogan.
The podcaster was the subject of controversy in the past few weeks after Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify over Rogan’s spreading of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Young’s move prompted other artists to pull their music as well.
Over the weekend, Rogan also apologized for using the N-word on his podcast after a video montage put together by artist India Arie showing him using the slur 24 times went viral.
“It’s not my word to use,” he said.
In the memo, Ek said the platform had talks with Rogan and his team about content, “including his history of using some racially insensitive language,” and that Rogan chose to have some episodes pulled from the platform.
Ek said while he opposes what Rogan said, he’s not going to cut ties with the platform’s top podcaster.
“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,” Ek wrote in the memo to staff.
Ek said the company should have clear lines about content but said “canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
Spotify did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.