Should Spotify have editorial control? Research says yes; but opinions differ

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Exclusive: After the Joe Rogan controversy, 40% of Americans, and 53% of Canadians, think Spotify should exercise editorial control over controversial content. Opinions are highly polarised, however, with 37% of Americans and 24% of Canadians suggesting Rogan should be free to feature whatever guests or commentary he wants. The research, which will be released today, also shows a significant difference of opinion between listeners and non-listeners to the show; and reveals that, in Canada, 29% of paid subscribers are considering cancelling their Spotify subscription because of the controversy. The research was conducted by Signal Hill Insights, before the additional accusations of racial slurs.
Why did 70 Joe Rogan episodes disappear from Spotify over the weekend? They were removed by Rogan himself, according to a leaked note from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. In the note, Ek also commits $100 million “for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups”. Ek adds: “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer”.
- Right-leaning video service Rumble has offered Rogan $100m to move his show to the platform. A video has also emerged of Rogan joking about sexual assault.
Tickets go on sale for The Podcast Show 2022 in a week: the London event promises 350 world class speakers, inspirational content and more than 120 industry brands by day; and by night, you can expect a week-long programme of live podcast stage shows (including the Podland podcast, and possibly even a Podnews too). You can sign up to their mailing list today for the latest; we’re a media partner.

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Edison Research has released the top 50 US podcasts for 2021. The data is based on 8,000 interviews with podcast consumers. There’s no change in the top five, with Joe Rogan at #1.
Podchaser has released The Podchaser 25, a list of the “hottest up-and-coming podcasts” in the US. It’s based on a proprietary scoring system including listening stats from un-named apps, and 29 other unspecified data points which appear to include social media data; the company wouldn’t give Podnews more details. Families Who Kill ▸ is January’s number one show.
A free podcast production workshop has been announced by the Ossa Collective women’s podcast network. It’ll be hosted in Santa Monica CA, just before Podcast Movement Evolutions; you’re invited to apply now.
A new podcast host called Podtrics has been announced. It’s founded by Marc Beinder.
NOVA Entertainment has signed So Dramatic!, an indie TV and film podcast. The agreement includes a new, daily podcast: So Dramatic! Daily ▸
AdLarge has welcomed Late Night Drive with Ellie Schnitt to its portfolio, the former host of the Barstool Sports podcast Schnitt Talk, focusing on mental health, love, and navigating adult life.
Tomorrow at noon ET, there’s an AMA on Reddit’s /r/podcasting with the team behind This is Dating ▸ - Eric Nuzum, Jesse Baker, Hiwote Getaneh, Eleanor Kagan and Paul Schneider.
iHeartRadio and Dan Patrick have announced the winner of their “The Next Great Podcast” search. Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South will tell stories of a 1977 crime ring, and will debut later this summer.

Podcast News - with Quill

Quill is an award-winning podcast agency specializing in corporate audio production that drives results. Listen to some of our top-ranking branded shows from clients such as Expedia, PwC, Amdocs, TD, and more.

Produced by Quill: The Great Indoors ▸ How has technology changed around the world? Join Matt Roberts from Amdocs as he discusses how human technological adoption habits are evolving as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and how we’re rediscovering the magic of technology as a necessary result of being indoors.

As part of a new recording of his book Liar’s Poker, a companion series starts today in Against the Rules with Michael Lewis ▸. Called Other Peoples’ Money, it focuses on characters from the book, financial experts, and journalists. It’s a five part series; the new recording of the audiobook is also released today, both from Pushkin Industries.

Research That Matters ▸ is a new nine-part series by Torrens University Australia - featuring researchers who are working to solve complex global problems and to propel innovation - from health solutions, to workplace culture, to virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It’s produced by Written & Recorded.

Ghost Train ▸ from Colorado Public Radio looks into the new trains in and around Denver and how useful people are finding it. Spoiler: not much. Is this the age of the train - or are we about to spend our lives on buses instead? The podcast launches today, and is hosted by Nathaniel Minor.

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