Audio streaming platform Spotify introduced on Friday it has renewed its partnership with Joe Rogan for his flagship chart-topping podcast.
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Sweden-based Spotify didn’t present monetary phrases of the deal, however stated a Wall Avenue Journal report that the settlement was price as a lot as $250 million was “incorrect.”
It described the settlement as a “multi-year partnership.”
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Rogan signed his first unique contract with Spotify in Could 2020, which the Journal valued at round $200 million.
“The Joe Rogan Expertise” topped the checklist of the world’s most listened-to podcasts on Spotify in 2023, for the fourth yr working.
Spotify additionally introduced the podcast would as soon as once more be accessible on different platforms, together with Apple, Amazon and YouTube, ending 4 years of exclusivity on its streaming software.
Early adopter
Rogan was an early adopter of the podcasting format in 2009, and constructed up a loyal fan base that’s nonetheless unmatched in its measurement and enthusiasm.
“The Joe Rogan Expertise” is a loosely structured present, usually lasting for greater than three hours, throughout which Rogan hosts a freewheeling and casual dialog with friends.
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Through the years, Rogan – an atypical character who is a component comic, half former kickbox and taekwondo champion – has hosted distinguished friends together with Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bernie Sanders, together with medical doctors, martial arts fighters, comedians and mathematicians.
He has been repeatedly accused of giving a platform to conspiracy theories, notably round Covid-19 and vaccines.
In early 2022, a number of musicians requested that their tracks be faraway from Spotify in protest at its assist for Rogan, together with American-Canadian artist Neil Younger and the American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.
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In response to the outpouring of criticism, Spotify added mentions and hyperlinks guiding customers to factual, scientifically sourced data.
A number of days later, Rogan was made to subject a public apology after utilizing a racial slur repeatedly on his present.
Nonetheless, the a number of controversies have didn’t dampen enthusiasm for “The Joe Rogan Expertise,” which stays extra widespread than ever.
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Spotify’s 2020 take care of Rogan was a part of a podcast offensive designed to consolidate its place because the world’s main audio content material platform.
In line with the corporate, podcast consumption has elevated by greater than 230 p.c since then.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
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