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Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

techcrunch.com

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Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#71
post #4

I probably will never watch it now since I don’t have a Spotify subscription and don’t need one. Is Spotify free for Podcasts?

He said in the announcement his podcast is remaining free. I don't know if you have to register with Spotify to listen, but I would think you would.

That’s the whole point, killing open podcast distribution. They want the only viable place to get podcasts to be the Spotify app which they control.

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#72
post #40
post #11

If it's on Spotify does it still count as a "podcast"?

So what in the definition of a podcast precludes it being available on one platform?

Mainly the mechanism for discovery & delivery - podcasts used to be RSS or Atom + Audio which allowed for repackaging and offline play.

With Spotify you need their specific app to listen. You have offline on premium but not on the free level.

Joe is now a feature of Spotify rather than being it's own destination.

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#73
Given that Spotify engages in some of the same censorship and control that other bit tech platforms like Google/YouTube/Twitter practice, I don't see why I would trust them and invest in their platform as a fan of such content. See https://www.midiaresearch.com/blog/spotifys-censorship-crisi... for a past example where Spotify entered the fray of imposing their own worldviews by censoring content. Yes they ultimately backed off on that but I can't trust that they'll be the best steward for free thinking open minded content like Joe Rogan's.

EDIT: see the update at the bottom of the Tech Crunch article.

> Update: In response to a question the Rogan show’s history of controversial guests and subject matter, a spokesperson for the company simply responded, “All shows on Spotify are subject to our content policies.”

Given their content policies include a vague "hate content" policy (https://artists.spotify.com/faq/music#what-content-is-prohib...), I don't see how Joe Rogan can openly discuss controversial topics like "Should transgender athletes compete in women's sports" any longer. Just one more reason to not trust Spotify or other big platform arbiters.

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#75
post #63
post #61

I don't listen to his show, but as a general podcast fan this is sad. This isn't the first podcast to move away from having a free and open feed of the show, but it is certainly the biggest and it opens the doors for a lot more exclusivity deals in the future.

Agreed. I don't think people appreciate how unique podcasting is as a distribution medium in that it has lasted so long as a completely open ecosystem. Nobody needs anyone's permission to write a podcasting app or launch a new podcast. Sad to see that start to change, but I'm also kind of optimistic for one reason: there's just so damned much audio content out there that it is people's attention, not audio content, t…

Agreed; that's what keeps me hopeful here too. Looking at my podcast player, I don't think there's any single podcast that I would download a new app for, if they tried this. So hopefully at least for the type of podcasts I listen to, this wouldn't be a winning move.

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#77
post #61

I don't listen to his show, but as a general podcast fan this is sad. This isn't the first podcast to move away from having a free and open feed of the show, but it is certainly the biggest and it opens the doors for a lot more exclusivity deals in the future.

Why is this sad? To me it illustrates that there is a lot of value in Spotify as a delivery mechanism and that the existing channels are not working.

If anything it should inspire creative new solutions to the issue.

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#79
That's too bad, I hope at least the old episodes remain on YouTube.

Not only because it is simple and easy and free to find and listen to the episodes, but the associated visual content (clips, reactions) is good too.

Would Elon's blunt hit have been nearly as entertaining in purely audio form?

Re: Spotify signs ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ to an exclusive multi-year deal

#80
post #61

I don't listen to his show, but as a general podcast fan this is sad. This isn't the first podcast to move away from having a free and open feed of the show, but it is certainly the biggest and it opens the doors for a lot more exclusivity deals in the future.

Why is this sad? To me it illustrates that there is a lot of value in Spotify as a delivery mechanism and that the existing channels are not working. If anything it should inspire creative new solutions to the issue.

If this were the case, wouldn't the podcasts would choose to use spotify on their own without having to be paid for it?
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