I don’t listen to Rogan, but as a Spotify subscriber, I will cancel my sub within minutes of them announcing a ban. I’m over this bull.
“It is why Spotify, despite the specter of losing rights to play valuable music, must stand their ground on the Rogan controversy.”
I wouldn’t call the music that “valuable,” though I am a Boomer like those musicians. I outgrew them decades ago, and even if Spotify loses them, you can still access that music on Pandora, MP3Panda, etc. What’s more, I also have a podcast on Spotify, so I’m inclined to root for Rogan, though I have only listened to him a few times.
Rogan was brilliant for taking millions from Spotify. They were foolish to pay that much even if he’s the number 1 podcaster. Facebook’s staggering user exodus has proven its easy for consumers to switch digital platforms.
If Joe Rogan is really lucky, the woke idiots will cause Spotify to cancel their Joe Rogan contract, he’ll get paid nonetheless, Spotify will lose half their subscribers, and then he’ll be able to sign elsewhere for another $100 million.
I remember when Neil Young sang about the needle and the damage done. Now he says shut up and take the needle, and don’t bother the man with any questions.
What a hoser...
bkmk
We assume these music has-beens are acting on their own behalf. But what if this battle is much bigger than Barbara Streisand's virtual signaling, or David Crosby thanking Pfizer for his liver transplant and support for his life-long drug addictions.
Consider this. Spotify's annual 2021 fiscal year revenues were a measly $11 billion.
But Spotify is trying to establish a leading position in podcasts, perhaps the next digital gold mine. And here you have digital giants like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook who failed to read the tea leaves and are itching to get a piece of a hot market Spotify is carving out.
Amazon has a lot to lose because Spotify can leverage its podcast business to move into the audio books space that Amazon owns today. Facebook lost 20% of its value and would love to own a piece of a lucrative new revenue stream.
So hang onto your hat. This controversy has just begun and we'll probably see a number of artists pecking away at Spotify because they are working on behalf of the Tech Giants as they try to muscle in.
The TV media giants also have a lot to lose if podcasting takes off as a mass market. Why watch TV news if you can easily listen to an engaging podcast on your morning commute?
Lots of fireworks ahead! GO SPOTIFY!
I’m sympathetic to the artists on the issue of streaming royalties. I use the Spotify free service almost exclusively for the music. I have recently listened to Rogan’s podcasts specifically for the COVID-related interviews. But Spotify appears to be crushing it with advertising. I get a pair of commercials every 2 to 3 song plays. That’s kind of excessive, but it’s better than paying SiriusXM where they whack me $46 every 6 months specifically for “music royalties” out of a total bill of $277. I don’t imagine much of that royalty fee actually makes it to the artists.
Spotify should do nothing. Remain silent. No press releases, no apologies or explanations. Let the geriatric hippies get their 15 minutes back in the spotlight and just remain silent.
Eventually when the press has tired of leftist race pandering on this, those same geriatric hippies will quietly slink back because in the end, it’s all about the money and they have very few places to go to get it.