By Dhirendra Tripathi
Investing.com – Spotify stock (NYSE:SPOT) traded 1.8% higher in premarket Monday as it attempted to calm the backlsh over comedian Joe Rogan's podcasts.
The company said it will begin to tag Covid-related content with an advisory, prompting users to check out the service’s new “hub for data-driven facts and up-to-date information” from the health and scientific communities.
The streaming platform made public its content policy Sunday, without making changes to it. The action follows accusation that Rogan and the platform promoted false information about Covid-19 vaccines.
Last week, Spotify had to drop singer Neil Young’s music after he called upon the company to choose between him and Rogan, alleging it is spreading fake information about Covid-19 vaccines through Rogan’s show. Musician Joni Mitchell and rocker Nils Lofgren followed suit in seeking to remove their music in support of Young.
Earlier this month, a group of 270 scientists and healthcare professionals signed an open letter accusing the podcast of promoting “baseless conspiracy theories” and asked the service to take action against mass-misinformation on its platform.
“We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users,” said Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a blog post Sunday.
The company has removed over 20,000 Covid-19-related podcast episodes since the start of the pandemic, a Spotify spokesman told The Wall Street Journal last week.
“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” Rogan posted on his Instagram account Sunday, referring to the furore.