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a14 people & arts
Tuesday 8 February 2022
Spotify CEO says canceling Joe Rogan isn’t ‘the answer’

By TOM KRISHER and Spotify said it would soon
LINDSEY BAHR add a warning to all pod-
Associated Press casts that discuss COV-
Joe Rogan has put Spo- ID-19, directing listeners to
tify in a tough spot, but factual, up-to-date infor-
the streaming giant is not mation from scientists and
ready to part ways with the public health experts.
popular podcast host de- The scrutiny intensified
spite intense criticism over when a video compilation
his anti-coronavirus vac- emerged last week show-
cine comments and use of ing Rogan repeatedly us-
racial slurs. ing the N-word. Arie posted
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also it on her Instagram ac-
said in a message to em- count, using the hashtag
ployees Sunday that Ro- #DeleteSpotify.
gan's racist language was "They take this money
"incredibly hurtful" and that that's built from stream-
the host was behind the ing, and they pay this guy
removal of dozens of epi- $100 million, but they pay
sodes of "The Joe Rogan us like .003% of a penny,"
Experience." the Grammy winner wrote.
"While I strongly condemn "I don't want to generate
what Joe has said and I money that pays that."
agree with his decision to Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek poses for a photo in Stockholm, Sweden on June 18, 2009. Rogan apologized in an
remove past episodes from Associated Press Instagram video Saturday,
our platform, I realize some lines around content and drop him. He has the right beyond Joe," Wihbey said saying that the slurs were
will want more," Ek said in take action when they are to say what he wants,' that Sunday. "This is a big mo- the "most regretful and
the note. "And I want to crossed, but canceling continues on the line where ment of reckoning for en- shameful thing" he has ever
make one point very clear voices is a slippery slope. there is this implicit sup- tertainment and streaming had to address and that he
— I do not believe that si- Looking at the issue more port to say racist things on platforms to see where the hasn't used the N-word in
lencing Joe is the answer." broadly, it's critical think- these platforms," Adia Har- window is, what's over the years.
The letter is the clearest ing and open debate that vey Wingfield, a sociology line." Ek told The Wall Street Jour-
indication yet of where powers real and necessary professor at Washington In his letter, Ek announced nal last week that he took
Spotify stands on Rogan's progress," Ek wrote. University in St. Louis, said an investment of $100 mil- responsibility for being "too
fate with the company as He said he was "deeply before Ek's letter was re- lion to license, develop slow to respond" to the criti-
some musicians, includ- sorry" for the impact the leased. and market "music and cism over vaccine misin-
ing Neil Young and India. controversy was having on The streaming site also has audio content from histori- formation. It took the com-
Arie, have pulled their work Spotify's employees. Rogan to decide whether offen- cally marginalized groups," pany five days to respond
from the streaming service apologized Saturday for his sive words are allowable without giving more details. publicly to Young.
in protest and others could use of the N-word on some elsewhere on its app, where Rogan's public troubles "It's become clear to me
follow. Spotify reportedly past episodes. songs with racist, homo- started on Jan. 24 when that we have an obligation
paid $100 million to exclu- Spotify's move likely won't phobic and anti-immigrant Young asked to have his to do more to provide bal-
sively host Rogan's pod- sit well with one side of messages are available, music removed over con- ance and access to widely
cast, which now threatens an increasingly polarized said John Wihbey, a North- cerns Rogan was promot- accepted information from
the bottom line but is also a country where there are eastern University professor ing skepticism about the the medical and scientific
key part of the company's heightened sensitivities on and specialist in emerging COVID-19 vaccines. Other communities guiding us
strategy to be a one-stop race and vaccine misinfor- technologies. artists followed suit, includ- through this unprecedent-
shop for audio. mation, experts say. "There's some real self- ing Joni Mitchell and Rox- ed time," Ek continued in a
"We should have clear "If Spotify says, 'We can't examination to be doing ane Gay. statement.q

Dutch police investigate abuse complaints at talent show

THE HAGUE, Netherlands received multiple claims Dutch television star Linda care in the interest of the
(AP) — Dutch police have ranging from an allegation de Mol. She ended their victims,” the force said.
received five reports of of rape to sexually-tinted relationship and the popu- The reports of abuse at the
alleged criminal abuse WhatsApp messages sent lar talent show was taken ratings juggernaut that is
linked to “The Voice of by two panelists on “The off the air amid the allega- broadcast in local versions
Holland” talent show and Voice of Holland” and its tions. Rietbergen apolo- around the world has re-
some 20 reports of “inap- pianist and band leader. gized for his behavior. Two opened the #MeToo de-
propriate behavior and The show’s former produc- other panelists have de- bate in the Netherlands.
John de Mol from the possible sexually transgres- er, media tycoon John de nied wrongdoing. Marc Overmars, a for-
Netherlands receives the sive behavior” by people Mol, apologized and told Police said in a statement mer star player with Ajax,
Golden Rose Award 2004 linked to the show. “BOOS” that in his years as Monday that they are Arsenal, Barcelona and
in the category Honorary The police statement on “The Voice of Holland’s” working with the country’s the Netherlands’ na-
Golden Rose 2004 during
the official award ceremony Monday revealed no fur- producer he only received Public Prosecution Service tional team, apologized
ot the 44th Rose d'Or festival ther details of the com- one complaint, and that to investigate the reports in a statement released
at the Culture and Congress plaints, citing privacy. was against the show’s pi- and whether they merit by Ajax. He said that he
Center (KKL) in Lucerne, The online investigative anist and band leader Je- opening criminal investi- “didn’t realize that I was
Switzerland, Saturday, April show “BOOS” — the Dutch roen Rietbergen, in 2019. gations. “This process takes crossing the line with this,
17, 2004. word for “angry” — report- Rietbergen was the part- time. We want to do this, but that was made clear
Associated Press
ed last month that it had ner of De Mol’s sister, the as always, with the utmost to me in recent days.”q