Pasadena, California – August 07: Comedian Joe Rogan performs during his appearance at The Ice House … [+]
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Musicians Neil Young and Johnny Mitchell may have written a few “protest songs” each in their long and impressive careers – but their protest against the online music service Spotify has largely failed. Ending the war in Vietnam could be an easier fight than pulling a streaming platform Joe Rogan experience.
This does not mean that change is not coming.
CEO Danielle announced on Sunday that Spotify subscribers will notice a new content alert broadcast before any podcast episode discussing Covid-19.
However, Joe Rogan experience Will continue.
Rogan’s response
The podcast, hosted by comedian Joe Rogan, was accused by medical professionals of spreading misinformation about Kovid, and as a result, both Neil Young and Johnny Mitchell pulled their respective song libraries from Spotify.
After last week’s negative reaction, Joe Rogan also accepted Social media Instagram on SundayWhere he explains in a nearly 10-minute long video that he is open to change on the show, and will work to book more mainstream health experts.
That video has been viewed more than five lakh times.
Rogan apologized to both Young and Mitchell and further praised Spotify for its decision to add content advice to any of the material that Covid-19 mentions.
“I want to thank Spotify for being so helpful at this time and I’m very sorry that this is happening to them and they are taking so much heat out of it,” Rogan said.
“I’m not trying to spread misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial,” Rogan added. “I haven’t tried anything other than just talking to people with this podcast.”
Success or failure?
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
“If you’re not a certain age, Neil Young is something you probably don’t know,” explains John Simpson, professor and program director of the Business and Entertainment Program at American University’s Cogged School of Business.
“But in the music industry, Young is someone who has long been seen as authentic and known for standing up for what he believes in,” Simpson added. “He has that reputation and there are only a few people out there who really like it.”
As for the changes in Spotify, it may find itself in a difficult position. It may be unable to satisfy everyone – especially where Americans rarely see eye to eye. However, the waiver may be a first step.
“It’s still early days, and Spotify is trying its best to get through it,” Samson said. “We’ve heard similar arguments from Facebook and YouTube when dealing with controversial content.”
Bottom line
Over the past week, many other musicians have shown their support for Neil Young – but with the exception of Mitchell and a few others, most have not pulled their music from the streaming service. Even if they do, it’s not clear that Spotify will pick artists on podcasts who could be big money makers – especially for more popular podcasts.
“Spotify has invested heavily in their podcasts,” Simpson noted. “They’re really a technology distribution company, not a music company, and Joe Rogan has a wider audience. That’s why the company could issue a content alert, but his show wasn’t going to pull. Now, if someone like Taylor joins Swift’s protest.” That would be a completely different story. “
Tweeted in protest
The other big takeaway of all is how many people who have appreciated Neil Young’s call to remove his music from the streaming service have done little more than tweet.
“Of course there are some people today who think, ‘If I weigh myself, something will happen.’ Sometimes, something happens and it can go viral, because overweight people add those numbers, “said Simpson. “But often that doesn’t add up too much. Even if it’s tens or even a few thousand, those numbers are still too small in the huge scheme of things. And maybe not even enough to create a service like Spotify. It would be a big deal if they actually started canceling their subscriptions. “
