Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes • Hacker News Board

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#161

Post by MBCook » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:00 AM UTC

echelon wrote: post #107

MBCook wrote: post #48

Spotify has played this perfectly. First they spent $100m on a very controversial figure, just to get an exclusive contract. When he acted controversially they stood up for him, making plenty of people mad and getting others to disassociate themselves from Spotify (Young, Mitchell). Wouldn’t surprise me if they were having some quiet issues with sponsors/ads. Now they seem to be removing episodes, but reportedly not…

Every platform is eventually going to have to deal with this. The correct move is to be a free speech maximalist (in either political direction) until laws are broken. You can also make rules against directed harassment and threats. Tell the detractors that "it could just as easily be your side being silenced", because that's the honest truth. People will complain, but only the fringes will leave.

The fringes will leave. And the advertisers. Because P&G and Fire and Chase Bank do _not_ want to be associated with this kind of stuff.

It’s much easier. You don’t need to be a free speech maximalist _on your platform_. Trying to tie up the whole podcast market under your umbrella is what caused this.

If Rogan was still doing things himself with a standard podcast RSS feed her could still be heard without issue. Spotify listeners could listen without issue. Spotify wouldn’t be getting dragged in the media.

This is 100% Spotify’s fault for trying to control someone controversial and was 100% foreseeable.

> Every platform is eventually going to have to deal with this

I agree. It’s part and parcel of being a platform. You know what’s better than platforms _allowing_ people to say what they want?

What we had before Spotify (etc.) tried to take over: the open world of podcasting.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#162

Post by CookieMon » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:00 AM UTC

MattGaiser wrote: post #88

MBCook wrote: post #48

Spotify has played this perfectly. First they spent $100m on a very controversial figure, just to get an exclusive contract. When he acted controversially they stood up for him, making plenty of people mad and getting others to disassociate themselves from Spotify (Young, Mitchell). Wouldn’t surprise me if they were having some quiet issues with sponsors/ads. Now they seem to be removing episodes, but reportedly not…

I am not sure there is really a winning play in situations like this that does not result in substantial losses either way.

The winning play is to make no changes that could get you back in the news, and wait for the news cycle to move on to the next outrage.

Possibly try to grease Rogan's hand to lay low on the vaccine topic/guests for a while.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#163

Post by faangiq » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:00 AM UTC

Of course they folded. (And on a Friday night too.) Would you risk billions and cocktail party invites over something as silly as free speech? Daniel Ek is not that dumb.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#164

Post by literallyWTF » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:00 AM UTC

protomyth wrote: post #50

prvc wrote: post #25

If Spotify is trying to effect or create the appearance of a willingness to reach a compromise in response to the recent singer pressure campaign, then it is doing nothing other than signal weakness.

Yep, either they remain absolute, or they will bend in the wind at every new demand. Compromising with the modern version of book burners is not going to be a good long term strategy. Worse, they spent a lot of money and knew what they were getting, so it just makes them look like idiots to investors.

Modern version of book burners? Do you want to pretend to be a victim any harder?

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#165

Post by newsbinator » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:01 AM UTC

queuebert wrote: post #92

scarface74 wrote: post #22

I think Joe Rogan is an idiot. But, if anything, Spotify should have just posted a disclaimer somewhere stating these aren’t their views, with some links to reputable sources - even their own “Science Vs” podcast. It’s not like now the people who believed what he was saying are going to shrug their shoulders and start reading the “New England Journal of Medicine”.

Personally I really hate that idea. Spotify is a for-profit corporation. It's only official view is to make as much money as possible. Any other political or philosophical statement is at best a calculated ploy to make more profit. Let's not pretend otherwise. Now, if the platform were a publicly funded news organization or TV station, then you could make that argument with a straight face.

> It's only official view is to make as much money as possible

A couple years ago there was a giant banner at the top of my premium Spotify page reminding me not to beat up Asian people.

Thank goodness they curtailed my race-based violence as a Spotify subscriber, but I don't see how that makes them money.

I suppose the virtue signalling was a calculated ploy, but it seems like a long and winding road getting from those banners to more premium accounts.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#166

Post by MengerSponge » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:01 AM UTC

tomcam wrote: post #110

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #75

Quoted post unavailable.

Can you find a citation for the $100 million dollar number? It does not seem to have been disclosed publicly by either party.

It's at least $100 million: https://www.wsj.com/articles/spotify-strikes-exclusive-podca...

Or it might all be bullshit? That would somehow be perfectly fitting.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#167

Post by ballenf » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:01 AM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #48

Spotify has played this perfectly. First they spent $100m on a very controversial figure, just to get an exclusive contract. When he acted controversially they stood up for him, making plenty of people mad and getting others to disassociate themselves from Spotify (Young, Mitchell). Wouldn’t surprise me if they were having some quiet issues with sponsors/ads. Now they seem to be removing episodes, but reportedly not…

The really weird thing is that the media keeps saying Rogan's "controversial", but almost no one cares. It doesn't show up in polling -- your average person has about 15 things of a higher priority right now.

Almost feels like the point of many articles is to tell people the correct thoughts on a topic, instead of actually finding out and reporting how people feel.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#168

Post by jimbob45 » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:01 AM UTC

vr46 wrote: post #82

umvi wrote: post #45

So we've decided as a society that any opinion that doesn't conform to the majority needs to be silenced? Scary.

How are they silencing him? He can publish anywhere he likes, they just paid him to work for them and now he's bringing their brand into disrepute.

“Separate but equal” is not legal in the US. That strategy may work for now but it won’t hold up long-term.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#169

Post by benatkin » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:02 AM UTC

I'm interested in the multi-episode guests that only had some of their episodes removed. One is Kevin Smith, of whom I'm a fan. Does anyone know of any others?

There are other multi-episode guests who had them all banned, like, I think, Dave Asprey, who is a blowhard. I think those who say things that situationally get their content removed are probably pushing the edge in a way I can appreciate.

Re: Spotify deletes 70 Joe Rogan episodes

#170

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Feb 05, 2022, 4:02 AM UTC

silisili wrote: post #47

This is idiotic. I really respected Spotify for their position in the face of 'controversy.' I'm not a JRE listener, but believe in free speech. What Spotify is doing now just pisses off both sides. Pro speech people don't like this, JRE listeners don't like this, and anti Rogan people won't stop until he's 'canceled' completely.

[deleted]