Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told CNBC Thursday he felt good about his handling of the controversy, claiming he had done what medical professionals had asked him to, referring to measures he outlined Sunday to “combat misinformation,” such as adding a content warning to episodes about Covid-19. Joe Rogan, the host of the platform’s 1 podcast is a huge cash cow for Spotify, but the company faced controversy as artists had their music pulled from the platform over Rogan’s promotion of COVID-19 misinformation and past use of racial slurs. Rogan apologized for the controversy on Sunday, acknowledging his podcast has become an “out-of-control juggernaut,” and said he will “balance things out” moving forward. Spotify had to choose between doing the right thing or profit, and like most companies, it chose profit.

Rogan’s podcast reaches an estimated 11 million people per episode, making it Spotify’s most popular show. The latest controversy is a significant test for Spotify, which reportedly spent more than $100 million in 2020 to bring Rogan’s show to the streaming service from YouTube. Medical professionals have also raised concerns about Rogan’s platforming of Covid-19 misinformation. Joni Mitchell, Dave Crosby and Stephen Sills are among a growing list of artists who have followed Young’s lead and requested their content be removed.

Young has been joined by a number of musicians. Last month, rock star Neil Young asked Spotify to remove his music from the platform as a protest over the airing of false information about Covid-19 vaccines on the Joe Rogan Experience. TangentĪs of April, Spotify had removed more than 40 episodes of Rogan’s podcasts, including one with far-right activists Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and Gavin Mcinnes, since its 2020 deal with Rogan to host his podcast. Joe Rogan and Spotify did not immediately respond to a Forbes request for comment.

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