The podcast and the damage done

Tuesday, 1 February 2022

EDITORIAL: Whose side are you on: Spotify and Joe Rogan or Neil Young and Joni Mitchell? Or does the entire saga, a once-in-a-lifetime conjunction of a global pandemic and ubiquitous internet culture, leave you confused and mildly annoyed?

The story reveals much about the tech economy, the value of music and the so-called infodemic that has run parallel to the pandemic. It also makes us ask if we are foolish to expect both convenience and virtuousness from tech companies.

Rock star Neil Young pulled his songs from Spotify, but are the alternatives any better?

When Spotify emerged around a decade ago, it was hailed as a solution to the then rampant problem of illegal downloading. It and other streaming options succeeded because they were quicker and easier than illegal downloads, yet also relatively cheap.

Musicians may not see much of a return, the reasoning said, but the $US 0.004 (0.4 cents) per play was preferable to their music being stolen, and illegal downloading has indeed declined dramatically. Consumers could listen with a clear conscience and real fans could support artists by buying expensive concert tickets, records and merchandise.

* Joe Rogan responds to Neil Young Spotify protest, Covid-19 advisories

* Spotify will now include content advisory for podcasts discussing Covid-19

* Prince Harry and Meghan wade into Spotify misinformation row

But Covid-19 altered that picture. Tours and festivals have been cancelled, meaning a major source of revenue for musicians has dried up. And attention has now turned to whether the streaming service is virtuous enough.

Concerned about Covid misinformation on Rogan’s Spotify podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, Young issued an ultimatum: either Rogan goes or I go. Spotify backed Rogan and Young pulled his vast catalogue from the service. Fellow Canadian songwriter Mitchell soon followed.

For his part, Rogan, a comedian and former host of shock reality show Fear Factor, has said, “If you’re getting vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?” He has a point. Spotify will now add advisories to podcasts about Covid.

US band Belly joined the dots in interesting ways. Explaining why they wrote “delete Spotify” on their Spotify page, they said a company that has underpaid artists has instead spent money on disinformation “that may well prolong the pandemic and further hurt artists by limiting live-performance options”.

While the Spotify stoush resembles earlier concerns about disinformation and problematic opinions on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Netflix, all of which came and went without doing any lasting damage to the platforms involved, this is different in one key way, which Belly spelt out. Spotify reportedly paid US$100 million for exclusive rights to the Rogan podcast at the same time that many musicians saw their incomes drop to virtually nothing. And fans who pay for the music object to their subscriptions funding Rogan.

But how many of those fans will be concerned enough to delete Spotify and find an alternative, now that the initial round of social media activism has died down? Or will convenience trump virtue?

There is also a bullying aspect to consumer activism. Can you now admit to using Spotify and still be a good person? Or has social media pressure made every choice political, even the service you use to play music while you relax, or a podcast while you commute?

Many of us find the politicisation of every aspect of ordinary life just as exhausting as the flood of fake news and disinformation. And how ethical are the alternatives?

Balzac famously said that behind every great fortune is an equally great crime. That could be adapted for the age of tech companies.

Neil Young has since directed his fans to a new provider, Amazon Music. That company has had more than its share of ethical problems.

CORRECTION: this editorial has been updated to clarify, in the fourth paragraph, that the average rate per stream paid by Spotify to its artists is $US 0.004 (0.4 cents) – Amended: 2/2/22 3.13pm.