It’s another Friday, another issue of the Spotify Newsletter. Welcome!

In my fever dream I’m the CEO of Spotify. I tell everyone to go to hell and have faith in the freedom of speech. Go forth and stream!

Alas, reality is far more nuanced.

Though he went wobbly in the face of the woke mob via a letter sent to his staff, I do applaud Daniel Ek for not capitulating entirely to the woke lunatics.

The key line:

And I want to make one point very clear - I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it's critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.

They won’t stop gunning for Joe, or Spotify. At least until the next mean podcast pops up.

But hey, at least Neil Young still has a lot to say: Neil Young urges Spotify workers to quit as Trump tells Joe Rogan to ‘stop apologizing’

Neil should offer to hire any employees who can’t handle a workplace with - gasp! - differing opinions about the world.

Perhaps Rogan jumps. Maybe the investors force Ek to make a move.

So far he’s holding steady. It’s a sad state either way.

The coordinated efforts by political and media allies to silence opposition is downright frightening. When the press secretary solicits Spotify to be more censoring of a podcast and its host, you know things are dark.

Via TechnoFog:

“…this isn’t about misinformation. It’s that Rogan’s crimes are those of words and thought. The prosecutors have become the prophet of the god they have created, searching to eradicate those guilty of the sin of blasphemy. The Taliban would be proud."

In their eyes, this public lynching is justified because these are revolutionary times and removing Rogan is a revolutionary act. There is no forgiveness because they seek destruction, not restoration.”

The entire episode is depressing because it speaks to a larger evil that is all-encompassing of our culture.

And then there’s the unhappy Spotify employees.

If a group of my employees went whining to me about what’s said on a podcast I’d ask them to clean out their desks and go home.

Charles Cooke of NR makes the point:

If, upon earnest reflection, the current staff of Spotify are unable to perform their duties while a man with whom they disagree remains featured by their employer, then it is time for the powers that be to thank them for their help, to dissolve their contracts, and to set about finding a new crew, capable of discharging its role without bursting into tears at the first sign of a new idea.

I’ve listened to maybe 10 episodes of the JR podcast. I like him and his style of conversation. There’s a reason such a massive audience listens to Joe Rogan while simultaneously tuning out the nonsense and lies of the mainstream media.

The elites and the media class don’t like that. And that’s why it’s been knives out for two weeks now.

Many folks have also decided to vilify Spotify for any and every evil that plagues the music business. Ridiculous. There’s plenty of problems, but let’s not lay it all at the feet of Spotify.

Spotify is my streaming platform of choice for a number of reasons. I love music. I love having the opportunity to stream it. It’s awesome. It’s not a perfect system, and Spotify is not a perfect company.

I’m streaming as I type this right now! That’s very cool. The access to so much music in one click is almost hard to believe.

I have no intention to cancel my account for any reason. I don’t care who has a show, or what they say, I choose to listen to what I want, when I want.

Those who seek to silence dissenting opinions, squash the exchange of different ideas can jump in a lake. Simple as that. Those music fans eager to hop on the virtue signaling train with their endless, misguided barking about Joe Rogan can go ahead and cancel their Spotify accounts.

Feel free to sign-up for Apple Music.

Onward and upward ….. 😀

★In the SPOTlight★

⭐️ Joe Rogan calls attempt to cancel him over podcast a ‘hit job’

Despite the attacks against him, Rogan insisted that he thinks “all the wokeness is moving in a good direction” in that it’s making clear that “everybody should be treated equally” without discrimination.

⭐️ Spotify CEO hints HiFi tier delay is related to licensing issues

“Many of the features that we talk about and especially that’s related to music ends up into licensing,” Ek told investors. “So I can’t really announce any specifics on this other than to say that we’re in constant dialogue with our partners to bring this to market.”

⭐️ Alleged sex traffickers, rapists, antisemites remain on Spotify without issue while Rogan faces boycott calls

Calls for Rogan to be de-platformed on the audio platform are unprecedented in scope, as Spotify very rarely censors content on its app. And while Rogan is targeted by censorship calls, artists accused of everything from sex trafficking to antisemitism continue to be hosted on the platform without incident. 

⭐️ Spotify will invest $100M in content from underrepresented creators, says CEO Daniel Ek

So far, Spotify has published its platform rules — which were previously not public — which prohibit content that promotes “dangerous deceptive medical information,” like asserting that COVID-19 isn’t real. The platform has also committed to adding a content advisory to any podcast that includes a discussion of COVID-19.

🗣Podcast Action🗣

Joe Rogan Offered $100M to Quit Spotify for Right-Wing Platform

Revisiting Spotify and the audio walled garden

🎧The Playlist List🎧

Why I Am Not Leaving Spotify

Little Simz’ Spotify streams soar over 350 per cent following BRIT Awards 2022

🖌Design Notes🖌

Three concept kits for Barcelona featuring new sponsor Spotify

🔥Even More Hot News Links🔥

Barcelona net ‘€280m’ Spotify shirt sponsorship

Spotify boss says too early to know Joe Rogan row impact

Spotify and Joe Rogan are invincible

DISTURBED's David Draiman: Streaming Services Like SPOTIFY 'Saved Music'

🎵New Adventures in Spotify🎵

Love Is (What I Say) INXS

Here Comes the Sun Again M. Ward

Why Does It Always Rain on Me? Travis

Moonlight Drive The Doors

If You Let Me Stay Sananda Maitreya, Michael H. Brauer

Would I Lie to You? - Remastered Version Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart

Ain't It Sweet Phil Cook

I'll Shoot The Moon Tom Waits

You And I Betty Davis

In the Meantime Betty Davis

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!! 😀