Engadget - Joe Rogan’s new Spotify deal

It's Monday, February 05, 2024.

The biggest podcast in the world makes many people furious, but it’s still the biggest podcast in the world. Now, the man behind The Joe Rogan Experience has signed another deal with Spotify, worth an estimated $250 million. The deal allows the streamer to distribute Rogan’s podcasts on additional platforms, including a video version for YouTube, but it also includes a revenue-sharing agreement based on ad sales, in case Rogan burns through those hundreds of millions too quickly.

Rogan has been a regular source of controversy since signing up, in particular with uninformed COVID opinions, which prompted doctors and scientists to demand Spotify update its misinformation policy. Spotify claimed it wasn’t responsible for Rogan, that it was a platform, not a publisher. Now Spotify will be publishing Rogan’s projects elsewhere, what will be its defense next time?

— Mat Smith

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