Misplaced Anger Over Joe Rogan
Why the podcaster is not the problem and Spotify is
I cancelled my Spotify account. But who really cares?
Where and how David W. Berner gets his music or podcasts is of little consequence to you or anyone, and it means nothing to Spotify, either. There are are millions of Joe Rogan listeners who will download his shows no matter what he has to say or how much misinformation he and his guests spew. Yes, some big names have jumped off the Spotify ship, taking their music and podcasts with them. That’s their singular beef and they are undeniably making noise. Those moves are what prompted me to cancel. And yes, my dislike of how Rogan runs his show and how Spotify supports it—the same way I despise Fox News—is what fueled my departure. But, honestly, I also wanted to hear Neil Young’s and Joni Mitchell’s music, and all the other artists who will soon run away. So, I turned to Apple Music. Maybe in time, Apple will do something stupid, too, and I’ll run like hell from that platform as well.
Cancelling my Spotify account is my own little protest and no one else’s. It made me feel like I made some tiny stand against misinformation, disinformation, stupidity, and most importantly irresponsibility. And that’s the thing. It’s really not about Joe Rogan. My disgust is with how commerce wins over right, how misinformation sells, and how big platforms give lip-service to being responsible purveyors of discourse when it’s really all about making money.
The Rogan controversy is not about cancel culture, or free speech, or the First Amendment, or any of that. It’s about cash. Don’t be angry at Rogan; be angry at Spotify. Rogan does a show that people like. It’s not bad. It’s quite good. Yes, I’ve listened to a few. He’s had a number of people with varied points-of-view on his show, not just COVID conspirators. That’s not to say he’s not culpable in this debate. But the real monster is not Rogan, it’s the platform.
It’s been widely reported that Spotify for the first time has taken down 20,000 other podcast episodes for COVID misinformation. But what’s interesting is that we have no idea why those ones crossed the Spotify line and Rogan’s podcast did not. Or why we are only hearing about this now? How was this decided? Who made these determinations? Mr. Money made these determinations, that’s who. It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it? This is all about responsibility in the face of greed. If you have a host with that much popularity and apparent influence, then you should be making sure he’s being responsible toward the greater good. Rogan can have COVID deniers galore on his show if he wants, he can rant about whatever he wishes, but make certain that big money is not what’s driving the conversation because cash kills any chance of doing the right thing. Spotify allowed money to cloud the slim possibility of being the adult in the room.
No one is trying to silence free speech in this debate, instead I would argue what most of those leaping over the side of the Spotify ship are instead doing it because a big, powerful platform is letting money win the debate, refusing to take responsibility until someone yells foul. Mr. Young offered the first yell, took the courage to get the debate started. That’s undeniably true. Jon Stewart recently said he thought the controversy over Rogan was an overreaction and that engaging with those with whom we disagree or those who are dishing out dangerous information is a better approach. I agree. But it takes a responsible platform to make that happen. Spotify has failed miserably on that front. Stewart is right, there is an overreaction to Rogan, but that is not the case when it comes to Spotify. Just a few days ago Rogan responded to all of this by saying he agrees that he needs to do better. But again, until musicians started leaving the party, Joe wasn’t about to do diddly-squat, and neither was Spotify.
So far, I’m enjoying my Apple Music subscription. It was pretty easy to make the switch. We’ll see how long it lasts before I find myself rebuilding my old vinyl collection.
This quote. "...cash kills any chance of doing the right thing." This doesn't apply to all people. But your words smack the heads of the majority I fear. And that's sad, frustrating, and sometimes downright dangerous.