Joe Rogan, the host of the popular podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience“, has signed a new contract with Spotify that is estimated to be worth $250 million. However, unlike his previous deal, his podcast will not be exclusive to Spotify and will be distributed to other platforms as well.
The new agreement, which was announced on Tuesday, February 2nd, is an extension of the original deal that Rogan signed with Spotify in May 2020. That deal, which was also valued at $250 million, made his podcast exclusive to Spotify starting from December 1st, 2020.
However, the exclusivity clause proved to be controversial among some of Rogan’s fans, who complained about the lack of accessibility and functionality of Spotify’s podcast app. Some also accused Spotify of censoring or removing some of Rogan’s episodes that featured controversial guests or topics.
According to sources, the new deal addresses these issues by allowing Rogan to distribute his podcast to other streaming platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. However, Spotify will still have the first right to stream new episodes of his podcast, and will also retain the rights to his video content and his back catalog.
The new deal also gives Rogan more creative freedom and editorial control over his podcast, as well as a larger share of the advertising revenue. He will also be able to collaborate with other Spotify-owned podcasts, such as The Ringer and Gimlet Media.
Joe Rogan, who is a comedian, UFC commentator, and MMA enthusiast, launched his podcast in 2009 and has since become one of the most influential and popular podcasters in the world. His podcast features long-form conversations with guests from various fields, such as entertainment, sports, science, politics, and culture. Some of his notable guests include Elon Musk, Kanye West, Bernie Sanders, Edward Snowden, and Mike Tyson.
