Joe Rogan, host of “The Joe Rogan Experience” and the undisputed king of the podcasting world, may soon be moving on from Spotify once his exclusive $200 million contract with the streaming platform expires next year. With Spotify undertaking cost-cutting efforts and Rogan’s audience of 11 million listeners hanging in the balance, the podcaster’s next moves have become the subject of major discussion — but it’s clear that Rogan holds all the cards.
When “The Joe Rogan Experience” first launched on YouTube in 2009, it quickly gained a significant following on the Google-owned site. In 2020, Rogan made what at the time was a highly controversial decision by signing a three-year exclusive licensing contract with Spotify, earning at least $200 million over the duration. Despite protests by musicians and Spotify employees over the podcaster’s anti-establishment rhetoric, Rogan continued expanding his platform and now hosts Spotify’s No. 1 show.
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But with Spotify cutting back on costs right before the contract expires at the beginning of 2024, Rogan may opt for free agency rather than renewing. The Stockholm-based company has lost more than $1 billion after signing podcast deals with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Barack and Michelle Obama, and Kim Kardashian — all of which resulted in net losses and canceled shows. These missteps led to layoffs and increasing prices for subscriptions.
Both Spotify and Rogan have not commented publicly on the subject, but speculation has swirled about how the situation will resolve itself.
One of Rogan’s most promising alternative options is to launch his show on X, the “free speech platform” now owned by his friend Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO, who famously found himself in trouble for smoking marijuana on Rogan’s show in 2018, has been working to turn X into a haven for independent content creators. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson went this route following his termination from the network earlier this year, launching his popular show “Tucker on X” soon after.
Other platforms, including YouTube and Amazon, may also make offers, potentially for millions more than Spotify initially offered.
Rogan may also consider launching his own media company completely separate from existing entities, giving him complete creative control.
Each of these options poses its own challenges, primarily the issue of monetization. YouTube and similar platforms have strict content moderation policies, which partly fueled Rogan’s move to Spotify in the first place. X does not pay creators directly, and the logistics of starting a media company to support the show may be prohibitively expensive. For these reasons, Rogan may ultimately opt to renegotiate with Spotify.
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