Until recent memory, every professional in media wanted to be a part of an outlet that could help promote their content and abilities.
This would make the outlet and talent money while leading to bigger and better things for all involved. Whether you wrote for a newspaper, hosted a radio show, worked on TV, that was the goal.
But as the media landscape continues to rapidly change, what if that platform you’re looking for is, well… you?
A new report came down from the New York Times this week that Joe Rogan’s deal with Spotify wasn’t the $100 million it was believed to be initially, but instead, it was a $200 million contract.
The Times reported, “in May 2020, after an intense courtship, Spotify announced a licensing agreement to host Mr. Rogan’s show exclusively. Although reported then to be worth more than $100 million, the true value of the deal that was negotiated at the time, which covered three and a half years, was at least $200 million, with the possibility of more, according to two people familiar with the details of the transaction who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss it.”
That would put Rogan at about $57 million per year.
OutKick’s Bobby Burack then wisely pointed out that the money being dished out to digital media stars is far greater than what is being paid on TV.
Here was his tweet:
We should note that you could add Burack’s boss, OutKick founder Clay Travis, to this list as well.
What do we make of this?
Well, first off, the reality is that for every Dave Portnoy, Clay Travis, or Joe Rogan, there are thousands and thousands of people trying to build the next Barstool, OutKick, or Joe Rogan Experience. However, those three guys are extremely compelling and talented individuals who cultivated an audience and are worth every penny. They aren’t easily duplicated.
But, for those with the ability and drive to be “next,” the goal should no longer be to make it on ESPN, FOX News, or ABC.
The goal should be to develop an audience on a platform that you completely own and operate. That’s how one gets to the level of what Johnny Carson famously called it in a 1979 Rolling Stone interview, “F*** you money.”
This also means one must have the talent to entertain and business acumen to build something, which is much easier said than done. But for those who are capable and have both skill sets, the possibilities are endless in the digital media age.
I’m not writing any of this to pump you up as the next Portnoy, Travis, or Rogan, but in a time when we hear about how legacy media is cutting jobs, decreasing pay, and becoming a harder industry to navigate, know, there is an alternative.
It won’t happen overnight, heck; it may never happen. But for all the criticism of Big Tech, it has allowed many talented people to work around, or without, the so-called “gatekeepers” of media, and it made them incredibly wealthy in the process.
And maybe you’re next.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
