Spotify CEO condemns Joe Rogan over use of N-word but won’t ‘silence’ him

theguardian.com:

Spotify’s chief executive officer Daniel Ek says he “strongly” condemns racial slurs and other comments made by popular US podcaster Joe Rogan, but will not be removing him from the platform.

Ek’s comments, sent in a letter to staff seen by Reuters, come on the heels of Rogan issuing an apology for the second time in a week, the latest for using racial slurs after a montage video surfaced showing him repeatedly using the N-word.

Ek said it was Rogan’s decision to remove a number of past episodes from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, following discussions with the music streaming platform and his own reflections on some of the content in the show, including the usage of racially insensitive language.

“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said… I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek said.

Ek reiterated his stand on Spotify’s content moderation policies and said that he believes the company should have clear boundaries around the content being published. The company should take actions when they are crossed, but he cautioned that cancelling voices is a slippery slope.

The company will also commit US$100m for the licensing, development and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalised groups in a bid to elevate creators from a diversity of backgrounds, according to the letter, which was confirmed by a Spotify spokesperson.

In his apology, Rogan had said the montage showed him using the epithet in conversations on shows over the last 12 years, and included examples of him discussing its use by Black and white comedians and others.

A mixed martial arts commentator and a prominent vaccine sceptic, Rogan has courted controversy with his views on Covid