Joe Rogan explained the reason behind his migration from YouTube to Spotify in episode #1599 of the Joe Rogan Experience. This happened while the host was in a conversation with Tulsi Gabbard.
While numerous speculations followed the news of his departure from YouTube, Rogan explained that the multi-million dollar agreement with Spotify went beyond money. He spoke in-depth about the harsh realities of YouTube's policies that forced him to make the decision.
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Joe Rogan's reasons to shift to Spotify from YouTube
It is rumored that Rogan's deal with Spotify to publish exclusive content on the platform is worth $100 million. The deal was struck in May 2020. By September of the same year, his migration was complete.
“It’s a weird time when someone can just decide that they just don’t like you, or what you’re doing is problematic. It’s one of the reasons why I went to Spotify. It’s because they had a vested interest in me succeeding."
Rogan mentioned that YouTube's policies are extremely ambiguous regarding what can be said in videos. Content can be easily demonetized if it contains curse words. The host felt that such policies were infringing on his freedom to express on the platform.
While YouTube's vague policies didn't stop Rogan from uploading to the platform, the host felt that he had no autonomy left in creating his unique brand of content.
"It’s a way of censoring people without censoring people. Because you say, oh, were you guys talking about that? Oh yeah, you know, we can’t put ads on that. Oh, did you guys swear? Oh yeah, we’re going to have to demonetize that.”
Given the ease of access, fans continue campaigning for Rogan to return to YouTube. Moreover, Spotify doesn't allow a comments section where people can engage with their favorite content creators. This has resulted in many fans of the podcast feeling left out.
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