Spotify inked a new multiyear partnership deal for controversial podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” — and under the new pact, Rogan’s popular show will now be available on other audio platforms.
In addition to being available on Spotify, Rogan’s show will soon be available on additional services, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. The move comes under Spotify’s revised strategy to relinquish exclusive streaming rights in favor of broader distribution, which the company kicked off in 2023.
Spotify said it will work closely with Rogan and his team “to continue to maximize the audience of the show across platforms.” Under the new pact, Spotify will handle distribution and ad sales for the podcast. “The Joe Rogan Experience” became exclusive to Spotify under a 2020 deal, and has ranked as the most popular show on the platform for the past three years.
“For more than three years, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ has consistently been the number-one podcast across the globe,” Spotify said. Per Edison Research’s Q3 2023 survey of most listened-to podcasts, “The Joe Rogan Experience” ranked No. 1 for the period. In addition, “JRE” was the No. 2 most listened-to podcast for women 13 and older in the U.S., according to Edison.
The comedian-actor turned podcaster regularly invites provocative guests on “JRE” — and Rogan and Spotify have faced a backlash over some of the material on the show. That has included a boycott of Spotify by several music artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in early 2022 over Rogan’s anti-vax episodes.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” originally launched Dec. 24, 2009, and has produced more than 2,200 episodes, averaging 2-3 hours in length each. Notable guests have included environmental epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan, whose work examines the impact of chemical exposure on reproductive health and child development; physician Peter Attia, known for his work in longevity medicine; retired U.S. Navy SEAL and ultra-endurance athlete and author David Goggins; psychedelic research pioneer Amanda Fielding; and criminal justice reform advocate and civil rights attorney Josh Dubin.
Other notable guests have included Dave Chappelle, The Rock, Robert Downey Jr., Quentin Tarantino, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Jewel, Eddie Izzard, Mike Tyson, Post Malone and Zach Bryan.
