The head of Spotify has just dealt a blow to the “woke” mob’s hopes of canceling Joe Rogan after vowing to support the podcaster on the platform.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek overruled the cancel demands from the Left, amid demands that the streaming site de-platform Rogan.
As his viewer numbers have grown to the point they dwarf those on the mainstream media, Rogan has become the victim of an organized smear campaign to try to silence him.
Calls for Rogan to be censored have been emerging from multiple figures on the Left, going all the way up to Democrat President Joe Biden, whom Rogan is vocally critical of.
Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki also called for Spotify to do more to censure Rogan from the White House podium.
Ek told his employees:
“There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you.
“Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful – I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company.
“I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.
“I think it’s important you’re aware that we’ve had conversations with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language.
“Following these discussions and his own reflections, he chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify.
“He also issued his own apology over the weekend.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more.
“And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.
“We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.
“Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.
“Another criticism that I continue to hear from many of you is that it’s not just about The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify; it comes down to our direct relationship with him. In last week’s Town Hall, I outlined to you that we are not the publisher of JRE.
“But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise. So I’ve been wrestling with how this perception squares with our values.
“If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds.
“We’ve been doing a great deal of work in this area already but I think we can do even more.
“So I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups.
“This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas,” he said.
“While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether.”
Responding to the controversy, comedian Russell Brand, one of the few Hollywood stars to disagree with cancel culture, broke down who is really spreading misinformation, noting that it is not Rogan.
In a new video, Brand compares Rogan’s few mistakes to the lies spread by CNN on purpose.
WATCH:
