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In one of the biggest news stories of 2020 not involving Covid-19, it was announced that podcast host, comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan had inked an exclusive deal with Spotify.
From 1st September, Spotify has been the official home of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which has now disappeared from all other platforms including YouTube. However, Rogan’s move to the “largest audio platform in the world” has not been without controversy and talking points.
Here are 5 interesting facts about Joe Rogan’s podcast deal with Spotify.
#1 Spotify have no creative control over the content of Joe Rogan’s show
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Ever since its inception in December 2009, the Joe Rogan Experience podcast has become synonymous with the discussion of all kinds of subjects. Joe Rogan’s discussions with guests see them talking about sports, conspiracy theories, politics and drug use.
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Rogan himself has outright stated that unlike major political networks, he’s free to discuss any subject with zero agenda, making his podcast pretty unique in that sense. But when he signed his deal with Spotify, some fans may well have been concerned that this nature of the podcast might change.
However, Joe Rogan’s legions of followers need not worry. He has already stated that not only will the show remain free, but it will also be the “exact same show”. According to Rogan, the deal with Spotify is just a licensing deal, which means Spotify will have no creative control over the show whatsoever.
That means that Rogan should – theoretically at least – continue to be free to discuss all kinds of subjects, including potentially controversial ones, with his guests.
#2 The move has caused controversy due to Joe Rogan’s apparent anti-wokeness
Joe Rogan might’ve gained millions of fans for his willingness to discuss just about anything on his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience. But he’s also garnered some criticism too. In 2019, for instance, Rogan came under fire for comments he’d made that could’ve been seen as racist and sexist.
Justin Peters, for instance, described the Joe Rogan Experience as “one of the internet’s foremost vectors for anti-wokeness”.
Joe Rogan’s new Spotify deal has only magnified the issue further. September saw reports that some of the company’s staff were pushing to introduce direct editing oversight over the Joe Rogan Experience, meaning that content flags, references to fact-checked information and warnings could be added to the episodes.
More recently though, the same staff members have reportedly considered a strike unless their demands for this editing oversight are met. Their issues largely stem from an episode of the podcast that saw Rogan discussing the issue of gender transition with Wall Street Journal writer Abigail Shrier – a discussion that some people found to be transphobic.
Whether or not this strike goes ahead remains to be seen, but with Rogan recently firing back at his critics, it’s safe to say that we probably haven’t heard the last of this issue.
#3 The deal with Spotify should make Joe Rogan a very rich man
With Joe Rogan’s podcast reportedly hitting 190 million downloads per month in 2019, and 8.42 million people subscribing to his YouTube channel, it’s clear that the Joe Rogan Experience draws plenty of attention.
That probably explains why Spotify have been willing to part with so much money in order to bring the Joe Rogan Experience to their platform.
It’s been reported that incredibly, the deal between Rogan and Spotify is worth around $100m per year – meaning that the comedian and UFC commentator should become a very rich man indeed.
Rogan himself has commented on the huge finances behind the deal, stating that he feels “weirdly richer” and that “it doesn’t register, it seems fake”. He also went onto say that the terms of the deal almost don’t feel right with him, describing it as “gross” when compared with the current, post-Covid-19 financial situation that many people are suffering through.
At any rate, Spotify clearly have confidence in Rogan to bring plenty of subscribers to their platform, and so they’re willing to part with a huge chunk of money to bring him aboard. Time will tell whether it’s a good move for them, but based on Rogan’s past success, there’s no reason to doubt him.
#4 Joe Rogan wanted to move away from YouTube anyway
The fact that Spotify were willing to pay Rogan such a huge amount of money – reportedly $100m per year – to bring him onto their platform clearly must’ve been a major reason for him making the move. However, based on what he’s suggested, Rogan may have been looking to move away from YouTube anyway.
In a recent interview with MMAJunkie, Rogan stated that a major part of his willingness to jump ship to Spotify came from the fact that YouTube had begun to flag and demonetize his content.
Rogan stated that “What Twitter is and what YouTube is are way bigger than a social media company.....There is a real good argument that they should be like public utilities. … What has made society better today than it was hundreds of years ago is not just our prosperity. It’s the evolution of ideas. Anything that wants to limit discussion is dangerous to the evolution of ideas.”
Essentially, from what it sounds like, Rogan simply wasn’t willing to compromise on his views and his freedom of speech for the good of YouTube. And with Spotify willing to give him full creative control – for the time being at least – it’s easy to see why he was ready to make the move to the platform.
#5 The UFC and Dana White are fully supportive of Joe Rogan’s move
Joe Rogan has been part of the UFC for years now. He made his debut as a backstage correspondent way back at UFC 12, and has been a regular in the commentary booth since 2002’s blockbuster UFC 40.
However, he hasn’t always been fully supportive of some of the UFC’s practices. 2015, for instance, saw him hit out at the UFC’s apparel deal with Reebok, stating that he didn’t like to see UFC fighters suffering financially.
Despite Joe Rogan’s free-thinking ways though, it’s clear that the UFC – and its outspoken president, Dana White – love the comedian. And in terms of his deal with Spotify, they seem fully supportive of him.
Prior to the debut of the Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify, White took to Twitter, waxing lyrical about Rogan’s accomplishments over the years, and telling him to “kick some mother f***** a**” on the new platform.
Judging by this, it appears that Joe Rogan’s close relationship with the UFC is still a strong one – meaning he’ll probably be appearing on their broadcasts for many years to come.
