Spotify publishes its long-standing Platform Rules and says it is working to add a content advisory to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19

A decade ago, we created Spotify to enable the work of creators around the world to be heard and enjoyed by listeners around the world.

Spotify 2022-01-31 Daniel Ek

Discussion

@eldsjal Daniel Ek on x
There's been a lot of conversation about information regarding COVID-19 on Spotify. We've heard the criticism and we're implementing changes to help combat misinformation. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@mikeisaac @mikeisaac on x
Spotify publishes basically the same memo Facebook has had to write a dozen times over the past four years https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@spotifynews @spotifynews on x
Read our CEO Daniel Ek's note on Spotify's platform rules and COVID-19 on For the Record. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
BREAKING: @Spotify taking new actions to combat COVID misinfo in light of Joe Rogan saga: — Adding content advisory to any podcast ep w COVID-19 discussion — Publishing its platform rules —Testing ways to highlight rules to creators More shortly on @axios https://newsroom.spotify…
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Spotify CEO ⁦@eldsjal⁩ publishes a blog post about the Rogan controversy, including a link to now-public content guidelines. The plan is to put warning labels on Covid content, which... I don't think the medical community is going to feel very heard https://newsroom.spotify.com/ …
@cakemusic @cakemusic on x
@slpng_giants @Spotify A company that works this hard to pay artists as little as possible is of course a company that chooses profit over public safety. https://twitter.com/...
@kevinroose Kevin Roose on x
The Rogan/Spotify ordeal probably ends in 1 of 2 ways: 1) Artist/podcaster backlash escalates, Spotify releases Rogan from his deal and/or takes down episodes 2) Rogan capitulates, loses his most hardcore anti-establishment fans but keeps his deal Or maybe 3) everyone moves on?
@issielapowsky @issielapowsky on x
Spotify wants to be seen like Facebook and YouTube, “But Facebook and YouTube aren't directly funding their most problematic contributors. And they're definitely not writing $100 million checks.” https://www.protocol.com/...
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
Spotify would like you to believe its Rogan problem is the unfortunate and unforeseen downside of being a platform during a pandemic. But it's a problem it created for itself - via a deal it signed during the pandemic. https://www.vox.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
Spotify CEO @eldsjal just issued a blog post with the company's response to recent criticism. Two words you won't find here: Joe Rogan. Link for our story TK. His post —> https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@joerogan Joe Rogan on x
My thoughts on the controversy with @spotify https://www.instagram.com/...
@jdcocchiarella Jack Cocchiarella on x
Spotify chose Joe Rogan over Neil Young. I'll choose Apple Music over Spotify.
@richlightshed Rich Greenfield on x
Sad that it took an artist revolt for @Spotify to act on labeling misinformation— but was happy to see today's post from @eldsjal Now the question is will it be enough to quell the artist revolt over @joerogan $SPOT https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on x
This here's a company that is panicking. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@noupside Renee DiResta on x
@alexfeerst @mmasnick We occasionally saw some of the posts in FB information carousels getting engagement but it's hard to be able to say anything beyond that from outside. Anecdotally, reading comments also suggested not all engagement was positive. Unclear if/how platforms are…
@thomasfuchs @thomasfuchs on x
$SPOT investors take note and better watch that stock price on Monday. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
Here is Spotify's response to Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and 200+ doctors. We shall see if this story now fades. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Here are the Covid content guidelines, which are the same as @ashleyrcarman reported Friday night - but Spotify appears to have removed the rule prohibiting claiming masks will cause harm and made the overall language squishier ("but not limited to"). https://newsroom.spotify.com…
@dfsparks Federico Chispas on x
Choosing to host COVID misinformation and then putting warning label on it is completely meaningless https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
Kind of amazing after so many years, and so many examples and case studies, that a company as big as Spotify isn't better prepared for this discussion. https://twitter.com/...
@billwerde Bill Werde on x
And here are a few choice selections from Apple podcasts. Dan Bongino, Candace Owens, etc. Some of the absolute worst that America has to offer when it comes to lies about the vaccine and Jan 6, and a bevy of other ridiculous conspiracies. https://twitter.com/...
@jonathanmayer Jonathan Mayer on x
Spotify has a serious conflict of interest with Joe Rogan and COVID-19 misinformation. It also has awful platform policies. Here's a comparison... Facebook and Twitter: you can't make false claims about treatments Spotify: you can't encourage drinking bleach, everything else 🤷‍♂️
@ashleyrcarman Ashley Carman on x
NEW: Spotify's placing a content advisory in front of podcasts that discuss Covid-19 https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@shannoncoulter Shannon Coulter on x
This is not it. We know from studies that disclaimers on misinfo don't work. Rogan has a track record of spreading anti-vaccine misinfo. Spotify could at least get rid of that content as a start. Instead they're taking half measures. Not good enough. https://www.cnn.com/...
@jeffjarvis Jeff Jarvis on x
Useless. Will you tell your boy Rogan to stop lying? Will you fire him? You say you have an “obligation to do more to provide balance.” No, thanks there's plenty of that in media already. Spotify's Platform Rules and Approach to COVID-19 https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@nandoodles Nandini Jammi on x
Interesting. On Friday, Bongino shared a list of articles that @GoogleAds provided him of harmful and misleading COVID-19 claims that led to his ban. Under @spotify's newly published content rules, his show would need to be reviewed too. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.co…
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@usaidbolt I love Spotify and think Apple Music is a gross second-tier product kept afloat by anticompetitive practices
@anthony Anthony DeRosa on x
In response to the Joe Rogan backlash by artists and podcasters, Spotify is promoting a Covid-19 information hub. Rogan's episode with Dr. Malone remains available on Spotify. https://www.wsj.com/...
@maxnordau Max on x
Remember that Spotify exists because it was a legal alternative to Limewire and Kazaa: Listen to whatever you want, wherever you want. Defenestrating Joe Rogan would be a clear statement that the company as originally constituted is dead. https://twitter.com/...
@creative_rants @creative_rants on x
Apple Music marketing team turned the petty all the way up 😂 https://twitter.com/...
@bostonjoan Joan Donovan, PhD on x
This is the tip of an iceberg. https://twitter.com/...
@whitneycummings Whitney Cummings on x
but nobodys boycotting Facebook?
@kevinroose Kevin Roose on x
@sarahfrier @karaswisher By my count we are ~12 days from #deletespotify trending, two weeks till the employee petition and 17-18 days away from “we've decided to part ways”
@rsg Bobby Goodlatte on x
Let's say Spotify caves and de-platforms Joe Rogan. So he goes back to YouTube. Now his content has far more virality & people see it *even more*. So they'll lobby YouTube to kick him off. Repeat this a few times & yes—this actually is about free speech & the tyranny of mobs.
@naveedajamali @naveedajamali on x
So my podcast is published on Spotify, yet, under their new rules my podcasts talking about COVID and getting vaccinated in a responsible manner, will be labeled the same way Rogans podcasts are. How is that helping? I'm brought down to HIS level. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ..…
@noupside Renee DiResta on x
It would be nice, at this point, given how many platforms have taken this approach, to be able to say whether these kind of “hub” efforts do anything. These things add information supply, but usually uncompellingly. They don't address the demand, or the entertainment element. htt…
@lethalityjane Lethality Jane on x
So the Joe Rogan podcast will get the same advisory as the “This Week in Virology” podcast? That doesn't seem helpful. https://twitter.com/...
@nathanshedroff Nathan Shedroff on x
“Young's goal was not to get Spotify to dump Rogan, as many seem to think. His goal was simply to force Spotify to go on the record, in public, with their explicit support for Rogan, and to raise awareness that their rules...Genuine virtue, not mere virtue signaling.” https://twi…
@vladsavov Vlad Savov on x
And Spotify is doing the bare minimum to slow the unsubscriptions. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
I believe the anger at Spotify is displaced anger that we can't force anti-vaxxers to get vaccinated. Vaccines have been around for a year and there've been lots of prominent anti-vaxxer deaths from COVID. Anyone still unvaccinated has made up their mind. https://newsroom.spotify…
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
This is like HBO responding to criticisms about drug use on Euphoria by saying content moderation at scale is a difficult problem
@bostonjoan Joan Donovan, PhD on x
The problem isn't the policies, it's Rogan as a product of Spotify. What's different is that Spotify picks and chooses who is on their platform, so they have a lot more creative control than Facebook or Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Some good first steps here from Spotify to address the COVID situation: publishing content standards publicly, adding content advisories to podcasts about COVID. Those standards need a lot of work, though https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@lorakolodny Lora Kolodny on x
I personally think Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and the medical community deserve a lot of credit for pushing Spotify to this point... https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@lxbrun Alexandre Lebrun on x
It's surprising that Spotify, facing exactly the same challenges that Facebook started to face about 6 years ago, is responding even more poorly. (Basically doing nothing) https://twitter.com/...
@billwerde Bill Werde on x
If I had to handicap the situation, I'd say the path forward for everyone to say they won is one where Spotify/Rogan agree to clearer standards of fact checking. Maybe after some high-profile meetings with “concerned artists.” Everyone gets to look like a useful adult.
@amy_siskind @amy_siskind on x
Facebook: we are the most despised brand for being a platform that spreads disinformation. Spotify: hold my beer.
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
“We have an obligation to do more...” Spotify, scrambling to answer concerns about Covid-19 B.S. on podcasts, just said it's publishing its rules (which already leaked) and placing a “content advisory” around Covid discussions https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Anyway Spotify is trying very hard to make itself seem like any other open social platform in response to criticism of Rogan - but there are no answers here to the criticism of the company spending $100m to exclusively distribute the show and promote it across its platform.
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Spotify is leaning directly into the comparisons to Facebook and YouTube; it lets them run the “content moderation is an impossible challenge” playbook instead of the “we bought and distribute this media property” playbook https://twitter.com/...
@ericboehlert Eric Boehlert on x
wait until the stock drops opening bell tm https://twitter.com/...
@baekdal Thomas Baekdal on x
This is total BS because it's clear these rules don't apply to Joe Rogan. In fact, we can prove it since the violating episodes are still there. So this is Spotify saying: Smaller creators have to live by the rules, but Joe Rogan can still do whatever he wants. #cancelspotify htt…
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
So far the answers have been weak sauce, but at the end of the day Spotify bought and paid for a relationship with Rogan, got subscribers for that deal and are a media company pure and simple. They can't platform this one away.
@shanselman Scott Hanselman on x
“We paid Joe too much to back down now” https://twitter.com/...
@thegabecole Gabe on x
BREAKING: in light of Spotify's drop in stock and mass exodus of users, Spotify has made the difficult decision to do nothing https://twitter.com/...
@billwerde Bill Werde on x
Been talking to music biz friends. Senior execs at majors, artist managers etc. about the Spotify thing. The most consistent thing I hear is depressing: that disinfo is everywhere, so where would that leave artists if they pull off of all platforms that need stronger policies?
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
The difference, which Spotify hopes you ignore: Facebook never signed a giant contract to be the exclusive distributor for a podcaster famous for hosting the likes of Alex Jones. https://twitter.com/...
@mathewi Mathew Ingram on x
Content advisories will definitely work for everyone who takes the time to read the list of ingredients on boxes of food, which is to say no one https://twitter.com/...
@jeremyappel1025 Jeremy Appel on x
None of this addresses the issue at hand — that Spotify is paying the biggest podcaster in the world millions of dollars to spread medical misinformation https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
The problem for Spotify is that there are quite a few alternatives, all of whom are better funded and willing to make a grab here.
@ejdickson Ej Dickson on x
“From the very first days of the pandemic, Spotify has been biased toward action.” Spotify completely ignored my requests for comment multiple times to ask if they even *had* a misinformation policy. This is a BS PR play from a company in tailspin. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ .…
@profgalloway Scott Galloway on x
Look for @joerogan to become more brazen w/COVID mis-information: —his deal w/@spotify likely triggers all $ on termination; and —several platforms (e.g., DWAC) would pay him $200m+ to join. Junk science spread => quarter of a billion for @joerogan
@juliarosen Julia Rosen on x
This is a bunch of cover your ass bullshit. Your rules are so loose that you condone people you pay to produce content spreading disinformation. Making the rules public and trying to counter disinformation with links won't change a damn thing. https://twitter.com/...
@shannonrwatts Shannon Watts on x
There are so many ways to force cultural change, and to help preserve our democracy. Grateful to artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell for standing up to misinformation and extremism. https://twitter.com/...
@slpng_giants @slpng_giants on x
LOL. This is how you know @Spotify knows it's wrong here. Nearly the same exact playbook of Facebook (@meta) @instagram & @YouTube. Do the bare minimum in service of protecting their bottom line. Only problem for @Spotify? They don't have a monopoly. https://twitter.com/...
@alexfeerst Alex Feerst on x
@noUpside @mmasnick In the end, content moderation comes for us all, and I feel for any exec at the moment they write, “we will strive to balance [doing thing everyone is mad about] with also [doing other thing everyone is mad about].”
@baxiabhishek Abhishek Baxi on x
After all the hullabaloo, Spotify CEO @eldsjal writes a post about publishing Spotify's platform rules for bringing transparency. Also, addresses the issues around misinformation around COVID-19 on their platform. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@justinjm1 Justin Miller on x
Spotify modified guidelines that could affect Joe Rogan on COVID. It's more specific about approved vaccines and that “deceptive medical information” is a violation, the bullet points are only examples. (right, from The Verge last week, left today) https://twitter.com/...
@amaditalks @amaditalks on x
So Rogan gets to keep spreading misinformation - along with his racism and misogyny — and his show will have the exact same warning as those not spreading misinformation. This is a perfect way to prevent people from knowing what to believe. https://twitter.com/...
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
Nothing is changing. https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
But as @reckless points out, they made a deal for this content. So it's not the same as something going viral on Facebook. https://twitter.com/...
@dada_drummer Damon K on x
If Spotify is an information platform - not a music one - then it needs to be scrutinized and regulated as an information platform, like Facebook. And there's no reason why it should have all our music available for free https://twitter.com/...
@billwerde Bill Werde on x
Case in point, here's Apple Music leaping at the chance to show they still have Neil Young and Joni Mitchell—this is front and center on the app presently. https://twitter.com/...
@bznotes Bilal Zuberi on x
Said here few days ago that while Spotify can do as it pleases, Neil Young leaving was a serious loss for the company. As someone else said, they are between a $100m rock and a hard place. https://twitter.com/...
@redisdead Red Durkin on x
In other words, they're not going to do anything about Joe Rogan and his flagrant campaign of misinformation https://twitter.com/...
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
Give your money to Apple to advance social justice.✊ https://twitter.com/...
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on x
Spotify is between a $100 million rock and a hard place. They apparently didn't have a plan for when their highest paid talent — who has always loved the world's most famous Sandy Hook truther, but morphs into Edward R. Murrow when a real doctor shows up — crossed their line.
@billboard @billboard on x
Apple Music published “We Love Neil” and “We Love Joni Too” headers on its platform amid the artists' requests for competitor Spotify to remove their music https://www.billboard.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Joe Rogan really starting to mess with my playlists now https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jesseltaylor @jesseltaylor on x
Spotify's disinformation policy is basically “whatever Joe Rogan didn't say” https://www.theverge.com/...
@crackedscience Jonathan Jarry on x
Interesting leak from Spotify. Basically, they are ill-equipped to deal with a tidal wave of “just asking questions.” https://twitter.com/...
@dylanreeve Dylan Reeve on x
The trick, it seems, to avoid having to censor your $100m podcast man, is to write policies so broad that only the very most dramatically extreme people would breach them. https://twitter.com/...
@themadstone Maddie Stone on x
First off, at least three of these content guidelines were clearly put in place since the start of the pandemic. Second, these are the rules you write if you want to say you have guidelines while allowing most vaccine misinfo to get a free pass https://www.theverge.com/... https:…
@anildash @anildash on x
Years ago, a lot of people didn't understand why Prince hadn't put his catalog on services like Spotify. He explicitly mentioned to @MMLunlimited that he didn't like the algorithmic suggestions that streaming platforms used to suggest content. https://www.ebony.com/...
@mattdpearce Matt Pearce on x
It sounds like if Spotify employees weren't demanding answers on what the hell the company policy is, we wouldn't have gotten this explanation into the light of day. https://twitter.com/...
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
“I don't know what else I can do.” @joerogan posts a video about the drama of the last week. he says he still loves Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. https://www.instagram.com/...
@justinhendrix Justin Hendrix on x
He ends with a very Trumpian “thank you to the haters”. “Thank you to the haters: the decline of American Civilization, a history”
@justinhendrix Justin Hendrix on x
Later in the statement he refers to the podcast as an “out of control juggernaut”. His answer is to just talk to more people and “balance things out.”
@justinhendrix Justin Hendrix on x
One of the things that is interesting to me in this statement from Rogan is that he states he does little preparation for his podcast conversations, and often has no idea what he is going to talk about with guests. Millions of listeners and influence, and no diligence at all. htt…
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
“I am usually unprepared” is an incredible Adult Son defense https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@esaagar @esaagar on x
Rogan correctly notes that term misinformation is BS given how many times establishment narratives have fallen apart He pledges to have people of differing opinions on *all* controversial topics and even thanks his haters for keeping NOBODY in MSM could do this https://twitter.co…
@volatilityvix @volatilityvix on x
I regularly disagree with some things Joe Rogan and some of his guests say, from science to business to UFC But that's what makes the podcast great isn't it? People are far too comfortable these days in their echo chambers. There's nothing wrong with respectful disagreements! htt…
@asranomani Asra Q. Nomani on x
Posted Sunday night, in his own words @joerogan, “Thank you to all the supporters and even thank you to the haters because it's good to have some haters.” Wait for him to break into Neil Young song. Full video: https://www.instagram.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
While @joerogan may not be your cup of water, Alpha BRAIN Instant and Jack Daniels 🥃, this is a decent response, beyond “just asking questions,” acknowledging more media responsibility than Facebook ever did (and better than the weaker @Spotify response): https://www.instagram.co…
@dfriend David Friend on x
“Oftentimes I have no idea what I'm going to talk about...that's why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I'm literally having them in real time. But I do my best. They're just conversations.” Joe Rogan on the Spotify controversy: https://www.instagram.co…
@redban @redban on x
Great response from @joerogan about all that @Neilyoung / @Spotify stuff... https://www.instagram.com/...
@therecount @therecount on x
Joe Rogan broke his silence on Spotify controversy: “I think if there's anything that I've done that I could do better is have more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones. I would most certainly be open to doing that.” https://www.instagram.com/…
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
Watched Joe Rohan's statement on the controversy with Neil Young. He does an excellent job of sounding more reasonable than his detractors which is part of the reason he's so popular. Points out how many formerly controversial COVID takes are now facts. https://www.instagram.com/…
@webology @webology on x
🤔 One subtle point missing here is that we signed up for the music, not podcasts. Spotify once made listening to music accessible and legal while sending money to artists. https://twitter.com/...

Chronicles

Spotify publishes its long-standing Platform Rules and says it is working to add a content advisory to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19

Related Coverage

Discussion