Spotify stated in a press release on Friday that it had signed a new, massive agreement with controversial podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan. However, this time, Rogan’s show won’t be available only on Spotify.

The multiyear deal with Rogan, the man behind “The Joe Rogan Experience,” is reportedly valued at over $250 million, according to The Wall Street Journal, the outlet that broke the story first. The show was the most popular podcast in the US in the third quarter of last year, according to Edison Research.

Spotify will manage the distribution and revenues of ads. Regarding the specifics of the deal, a Spotify representative declined to comment. The news was announced on the corporate site, which stated that the show has been continuously listed as the most listened-to podcast globally.

In a blog post interview, Joe Rogan stated that these discussions had profoundly altered and still altered his perspective on life. He continued by saying he felt incredibly lucky to be able to accomplish it.

Spotify Has Already Done Deals With Joe Rogan

Executives estimated Rogan’s 2020 deal with Spotify to be worth around $200 million. This deal marked the peak of podcasting’s large spending era, during which some digital and media businesses fought to make on-demand audio a significant source of revenue.

In an attempt to break free from the low-profit music streaming industry, Spotify has invested over $1 billion in podcasting. It has made large bets on many podcasting startups and prominent podcasters, such as Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, the Obamas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and others, signing them to exclusive contracts.

The announcement coincides with Spotify seeming to be reorienting its podcast content strategy, moving away from exclusive deals that capped the distribution of popular episodes.

Another popular podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” hosted by Alex Cooper, was recently released from Spotify’s exclusive rights. This Monday, the tech website The Verge published a title that summed everything up: “Spotify’s exclusivity era nears its end.”

People questioned how Joe managed to accomplish everything. Podcasting has changed him, but how has he changed podcasting? To in setting the right tone, Joe has put together an exclusive Green Room playlist for the fans (see the cover art, which features the iconic neon sign from the Comedy Mothership).

On their news page, Spotify stated that they considered podcasting to be an art form and that they were terrible at it when they first started.

Spotify continued, saying that while it was interesting, it lacked comprehension of how to maintain the flow of a conversation, when to stop talking and listen, and how to make others feel comfortable to fully benefit from their viewpoint.

With an average duration of two to three hours, “The Joe Rogan Experience” has produced almost 2,200 episodes since its launch on December 24, 2009.

 

Among the notable visitors have been environmental epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan, whose research focuses on how chemical exposure affects child development and reproductive health; physician Peter Attia, renowned for his work in longevity medicine; ultra-endurance athlete and author David Goggins, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL; pioneer of psychedelic research Amanda Fielding; and civil rights lawyer and criminal justice reform advocate Josh Dubin.

The talk-show format podcast is well-known for its edgy guests and manner, which has earned it a lot of criticism. For instance, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, revealed on the program last year that he purchased the social media platform X to protect it from the “woke mind virus.”

A series of videos showing Rogan using the N-word went viral in 2022, drawing anger against the actor. Experts in medicine and other fields denounced him for spreading misinformation and conspiracies about COVID-19.

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