Spotify said it would add “content advisory” warnings to podcasts that discussed Covid-19, as the streaming service responded to a backlash against its popular podcaster Joe Rogan.
The company, however, has not removed the December 31 episode of Rogan’s podcast that has triggered the ire of hundreds of doctors and scientists, as well as musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, who have pulled their music from Spotify in protest.
Rogan’s podcast, in which he hosted a virologist who is sceptical of mRNA coronavirus vaccines, did not meet the threshold for violating Spotify’s content rules, the company said.
“Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time”, chief executive Daniel Ek wrote in a blog post on Sunday.
Spotify is doing damage control after Young and Mitchell removed their music from its streaming service in protest at “lies” spread by Rogan. The moves spurred a backlash online, where some social media accounts promised to #DeleteSpotify.
Ek outlined the steps Spotify would take to address concerns that the platform was spreading false information regarding the coronavirus. He said Spotify will add a “content advisory” to any podcast that discusses Covid-19. The advisory will direct listeners to a new coronavirus “hub” that will provide facts and information, as well as links to “trusted sources”.
Read more about Spotify’s content warnings