Joe Rogan is taking his massively successful podcast to Spotify in an exclusive deal that is upending the entertainment business.
The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast on the planet. Each month, the show’s in-depth interviews earn 190 million downloads and generate over 300 million YouTube views. That engagement translates to a ton of cash for Rogan and every platform hosting his show, but soon fans will have only one place to turn for their JRE fix.
Spotify announced an exclusive partnership with Joe Rogan on Tuesday, May 19, that will bring both the audio and video version of his platform to the service by the end of 2020. News of the deal and Rogan’s rumored $100-million payday has upended every facet of the entertainment business, with executives and artists at every level wondering what the move means for the future of audio. After all, podcasting is huge, but is it 9-figures huge?
To put this deal into perspective, an artist promoting their music through Spotify would need at least 28 billion streams to earn that much money. Drake, the most successful artist in Spotify history, only crossed the 28 billion stream threshold in late 2019.
But the deal is done and there is no turning back. Artists will continue to complain, but we see a lot of good things developing as a result of this announcement. For starters, a more Spotify users raises the likelihood of increased streams and discovery. Then there is the video element to Rogan’s deal, which will require a massive UI update that creates a world of possibilities for all creators.
In this Music Biz News update, host James Shotwell breaks down Rogan’s deal and explores the many ways his Spotify partnership will help artists everywhere in time.
