Millions of new Spotify subscribers are tuning in to see what Joe Rogan will say next. During Friday’s “Joe Rogan Experience,” the podcaster said allegations of COVID misinformation and charges of racism had done little to slow his growth.
“It’s interesting; my subscriptions went up massively — that’s what’s crazy. During the height of it all, I gained two million subscribers.”
Rogan’s show has endured a boatload of criticism, and Spotify executives faced great internal pressure to cancel Rogan after it was alleged that he spread COVID misinformation on some of his podcasts.
Artists like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren, and India Arie all threatened to boycott the platform if Spotify didn’t fire Rogan. Thankfully for Rogan, that never happened. Spotify refused to succumb to the pressure being placed on them both internally and externally.
Rogan’s career at Spotify began in September 2020 amid much fanfare; Rogan received an exclusive deal for a reported $100 million. According to Media Monitors, Rogan’s listeners are both loyal and young.
A survey conducted on his podcasts indicates that the average age of his listeners is 24 years old compared to the median age of a news/talk listener, which is about 52 years old.
Rogan’s deal with Spotify is reportedly worth at least double what was initially reported. Rogan has threatened to quit if he felt that he was “walking on eggshells.”
Many of the artists that left Spotify to protest Rogan have returned.
