Two years following the Joe Rogan scandal, Spotify has failed to live up to its promise of encouraging diversity and inclusivity. Joe Rogan has become a household name within the entertainment industry. Although the Joe Rogan Experience was incepted in 2009 and gained prominence during the early and mid-2010s, it gained maximum momentum in 2020. Specifically, during the global crisis faced by the arrival of COVID-19.
Joe Rogan in fact dominated the podcasting industry, influencing several people worldwide to adopt the practice. Rogan’s podcast would host controversial names, including political and medical figures.
Most of them sparked outrage with their comments. One specific guest, Robert Malone, a discredited doctor, forced Rogan to be on the receiving end of facing threats from the woke folk, leading to an exodus to get the 55-year-old cancelled.
However, it was his use of the n-word that led to Rogan being reprimanded. He would see his Spotify deal under threat. Although the platform didn’t revoke their partnership, they did promise to be cautious with Rogan’s content moving forward.
The global music platform formed a ‘Diversity and Inclusivity’ fund, pledging 100 million towards it. Although it has now been revealed that the platform has not lived up to its word.
Spotify invests just 10% of their 100 million Diversity and Inclusivity fund
According to a report from Bloomberg, the 100 million was set to be dissected into a project named the ‘Creator Equity Fund’. It would stand for three years.
However, a lack of transparent directions and structure led to the failure of the project. And although ideas were curated, they were often dismissed.
A spokesperson for Spotify gave insight into what the project was supposed to look like in an emailed comment and said:
“The Spotify Creator Equity Fund is dedicated to a variety of initiatives that help elevate and support an inclusive and diverse portfolio of artists and creators on the platform. We are able to empower and uplift underrepresented voices around the world.”
Bloomberg revealed that Spotify, despite promising to divest a staggering sum of 100 million to promote diversity and inclusivity on its platform, has merely spent 10% of it.
In February 2022, Rogan received backlash for allegedly making a racial slur on his podcast. He was further scrutinized for spreading false information on COVID-19.
In the wake of the incident, Spotify CEO, Daniel Ek committed the sum “for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups.”
The project has, however, not lived up to expectations. What was supposed to be an eight-member crew team, who were supposed to overlook the project, is now reportedly behind schedule due to “shifting priorities”.
Bloomberg’s report states that the 100 million funds did not complete its 2023 budget, having not determined its priority projects.
The controversy surrounding Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan suffered a barrage of scrutinizing comments for using the ‘n-word’. At one point, a campaign was presented to cancel Rogan and his platform, amidst his 200 million deal with Spotify.
Daniel Ek came to the defense of Rogan and stated that terminating his partnership with the platform was not the solution. Ek although did maintain that he was sympathetic with how the sequence of events played out
