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Podcast host and MMA color commentator Joe Rogan’s popularity is on a downward spiral since he signed an exclusive contract with Spotify in May 2020.
Joe Rogan had launched his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” in December 2009 and currently has almost 11 million subscribers on the YouTube channel. His fans had shown a reluctance to follow him on Spotify when the exclusive contract announcement first came out.
Since then, he has come under scrutiny from the platform itself. Joe Rogan had for the longest of time denied claims that Spotify was “censoring” his content but admitted that it was true in March 2021.
Joe Rogan is losing relevance since his Spotify move
It would be fair to say that Rogan has been a controversial figure throughout his career. Fans noticed that several episodes featuring controversial figures never made their way to Spotify.
While Rogan had said that Spotify will have no “creative control” over his content, rumors had been strife that various Spotify employees had threatened to go on strike if their demands about “editorial oversight” over his content were not met.
Additionally, the public apology that Joe Rogan made on Instagram regarding his claims about the Portland fires was also rumored to be a result of pressure from Spotify. Most recently, Rogan was on the receiving end of uproar over his claims about the Coronavirus vaccination.
Joe Rogan had suggested that “healthy 21-year-olds” need not get themselves vaccinated against the virus. He referenced his own children’s experiences with being Corona-positive and was called out on multiple social media platforms.
It now seems like the controversies, and his Spotify deal might be damaging his reputation. Martin Armstrong of Statista.com recently explained in detail how Rogan’s Spotify move might be good for him financially but is damaging his relevance overall.
Within one week of Rogan’s podcast videos becoming exclusive on Spotify, the words “Joe Rogan” had seen an overall search volume drop of 40.2%.
Multiple media outlets have in part blamed the Spotify deal for his diminishing popularity. The podcast was widely accessible before, although part of the reason for that was the many controversial statements that he's made over the years, like the one about the coronavirus vaccination.
He has often been accused of providing a platform to problematic personalities to spread “propaganda” and been labeled “sexist” and “transphobic" as well.
Rogan need not be too worried about his diminishing popularity, at least financially. The podcast host is rumored to have more than 12 million active listeners on Spotify.
Additionally, Spotify released a statement claiming that “The Joe Rogan Experience” is helping the platform engage more users than the company initially expected. Spotify has not revealed the exact numbers.
