After Joe Rogan offered an apology for the repeated use of the ‘n-word,’ Daniel Ek, the chief executive of Spotify, spoke about the incident and addressed Rogan’s comments.
He stated Rogan’s comments were “incredibly hurtful” and not on brand with the company’s values, but he does not believe “silencing” Rogan would be the best option.
In a memo sent to the company, EK wrote, “I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.” Ek continued, “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
Ek also stated he would donate to marginalized groups. He said that he would be committing “an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups.”
It’s also reported that Spotify removed up to 70 episodes from Rogan’s podcast.
In a clip posted to Instagram, Rogan stated he now understands he shouldn’t use the ‘n-word’ in the almost six minutes long video. The comedian has a very lucrative deal at Spotify and stated this was one of the “most regretful and shameful things” he has ever spoken about.
As previously reported, India.Arie shared a video montage of Rogan repeatedly saying “n***er” on his podcast and explained that she doesn’t want her music to generate money that will be used to pay Joe Rogan’s salary.
According to reports, Rogan inked a $100 million deal with Spotify back in 2020.
