Daniel Ek said exclusive deals like one with Joe Rogan are critical to the company’s business, that he sometimes finds the podcast offensive, but that he doesn’t consider Spotify a “publisher” in terms of bearing responsibility for content it carries.
“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,” said Ek, Spotify’s founder and CEO, in comments at a town hall with employees. Audio was obtained by The Verge.
“Spotify doesn’t “fit neatly into just one category” but “is defining an entirely new space of tech and media,” Ek says in the recording.
Related Story
Spotify CEO Says Last Few Days "Presented A Number Of Learning Opportunities," Addresses Joe Rogan Controversy At Top Of Earnings Call – Update
The event was held Wed., days after the company was roiled by musician defections in protest of Covid-19 misinformation on Spotify’s no. 1 podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.
Separately, Spotify shares tanked today after fourth-quarter financials showed weaker than expected subscriber growth. The numbers lend credence to Ek’s town hall comments about needing to find “leverage” in a competitive market.
“One way we could do this was in the form of exclusives,” he said. “To be frank, had we not made some of the choices we did, I am confident that our business wouldn’t be where it is today.”
“It is important to note that we do not have creative control over Joe Rogan’s content. We don’t approve his guests in advance, and 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,” he said.
Ek first commented publicly on the controversy Sunday, when he said Spotify is in fact clarifying and highlighting its policies and also adding special tags and advisories to podcast episodes that have Covid-related content. He reiterated those measures on a call with analysts Wed. and a CNBC appearance today.
Neil Young was the first to pull his music from Spotify last week. He was joined by Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash and Nils Lofgren, India.Arie and most recently Crosby, Stills & Nash.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki even weighed in. “This disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to be doing more to be calling out mis- and dis-information, while also uplifting accurate information,” Psaki said at a briefing this week in response to a question. “Ultimately, our view is that it is a positive step, but there is more that can be done.
Ek told Wall Streeters yesterday that it’s too soon to tell if the controversy would impact financial results.
“There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” Ek told employees according to The Verge audio. “The real thing here is to try to go for an even broader set of exclusives that represent even more voices.”
“If we 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 says. “Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad.”
Must Read Stories
Netflix’s 2022 Film Slate: ‘Knives Out 2’ & ‘The Gray Man’ Among 86 Titles
‘Yellowstone’ Renewed For Season 5 At Paramount Network; Pair Upped To Series Regulars
‘Dune’ Tops Film Awards Nominees: Analysis, Snubs, Streamer Scorecard & More
Unmasking Of Rudy Giuliani On ‘Masked Singer’ Prompts Two Judges To Walk Off In Protest
Read More About:
Source: Read Full Article