Alex Webb, Columnist

Spotify Signs Joe Rogan, Becomes More Like Netflix

Landing the podcasting TV host came at a price. But the move lessens the music streamer’s reliance on labels and opens ad opportunities.

May 20, 2020 at 1:12 PM UTC

By Alex Webb

Alex Webb is a correspondent for Bloomberg Quicktake. He previously covered the technology, telecoms and media industries in London, San Francisco and Munich.

Joe Rogan’s deal with Spotify, potentially worth over $100 million, is no joke. — Joe Rogan’s deal with Spotify, potentially worth over $100 million, is no joke.
Photographer: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Spotify Technology SA has long purported to be the next Netflix Inc. Signing Joe Rogan in a deal that could earn the podcaster more than $100 million helps the music streamer start to deliver on that promise.

The Stockholm-based tech firm has a stubborn problem: For every dollar in revenue the music streaming giant earns, it sends 65 cents straight to the record industry.