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Podcasts were meant to revive Spotify. Now it’s on the culture war frontline | Dorian Lynskey
Neil Young versus Joe Rogan is a PR disaster and a sign the digital platform has lost its way
Until last week, Spotify-using fans of Neil Young could access a vast 54-year catalogue of songs, which attracted more than 6 million listeners a month. Now all that remains are appearances on compilations and, for some reason, a 1989 live album. Enraged by what he saw as the promotion of “life-threatening Covid misinformation” on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the Canadian singer-songwriter issued an ultimatum: “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”
As Young surely knew, Spotify’s choice was a foregone conclusion. Rogan’s show, which the streaming service acquired for $100m in 2020, is its most popular podcast, with an average listenership of 11 million per episode. In its first month, it accounted for 4.5% of all podcast listening on Spotify worldwide. For Spotify, which is banking on podcasts to drive subscriptions, he is a star of the magnitude of Adele.
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