Spotify has announced it will run warnings before its podcasts and shows that will discuss the coronavirus on air as a response to the backlash the company received for comments by host Joe Rogan questioning the effectiveness of vaccines, Politico reports.
Rogan, who is exclusively distributed through Spotify in a $100 million deal signed in 2021, has raised questions about the ability and willingness of the streaming service to check the pandemic disinformation coming from of its most popular hosts.
Musician Neil Young has pulled his music catalog from the company, and he was soon joined by Nils Lofgren and Joni Mitchell, who insisted Spotify remove their music from its offerings.
Apparently trying to have his cake and eat it too, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated that the company is working to find a balance between correcting misinformation and giving their hosts freedom from censorship.
“Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,” wrote Ek. “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”