Popular digital music streaming service Spotify continues to be embroiled in controversy weeks after Rock legend Neil Young publicly condemned the platform for allowing Joe Rogan to use his podcast, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ to spew what was deemed ‘misinformation’ about COVID-19.
Among those supporting Young was fellow GRAMMY winner India.Arie, who called for a boycott of the streamer after shining an even brighter spotlight on Rogan – namely his documented history of spouting racial slurs on that same show.
As a result of the negative attention, Spotify not only lost billions in market value but has also earned a wave of negative press – ongoing embattlement that led the controversial commentator to issue an apology.
And while Spotify opted to remove over 100 of Joe’s more eyebrow-raising podcasts from their platform, reps from the company opted to remain mum on the hoopla. That is, until a staff letter penned by the company’s CEO Daniel Ek was leaked to the press.
Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO
In a letter obtained by THR, Ek explained he thought Rogan’s use of the N-word and comparing a Black neighborhood to ‘Planet of the Apes’ was ‘incredibly hurtful’ but still didn’t feel the racial insensitivity was enough to boot the popular podcaster from Spotify.
“I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek wrote. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
While there are no plans to remove all of the star’s content from the streamer (as of time reported), Daniel suggested the better remedy – per a suggestion lent by India in her now viral video – is to incrementally pay more money to ‘marginalized’ performers.
“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. 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.”
Read the full letter by clicking here.