Spotify CEO apologizes for Joe Rogan backlash, but won't cut ties with podcast host

Joe Rogan has put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-vaccine comments and use of racial slurs.

In a message to employees on Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said that Rogan's racist language was "incredibly hurtful" and that the host was behind the removal of dozens of episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience.

"While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more," Ek said in the note. "And I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer."

The letter is the clearest indication yet of where Spotify stands on Rogan's fate with the company as some musicians, including Neil Young and India Arie, have pulled their work from the streaming service in protest and others could follow.

Spotify reportedly paid $100 million US to exclusively host Rogan's podcast, which now threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company's strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio.

"We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but cancelling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it's critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress," Ek wrote.

Ek said he was "deeply sorry" for the impact the controversy was having on Spotify's employees. Rogan, meanwhile, apologized Saturday for his use of the N-word on some past episodes.

Spotify's move likely won't sit well with one side of an increasingly polarized country where there are heightened sensitivities on race and vaccine misinformation, experts say.

"If Spotify says, 'We can't drop him. He has the right to say what he wants,' that continues on the line where there is this implicit support to say racist things on these platforms," said Adia Harvey Wingfield, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, speaking before Ek's letter was released.

The streaming site also has to decide whether offensive words are allowable elsewhere on its app, where songs with racist, homophobic and anti-immigrant messages are available, said John Wihbey, a Northeastern University professor and specialist in emerging technologies.

"There's some real self-examination to be doing, beyond Joe," Wihbey said Sunday. "This is a big moment of reckoning for entertainment and streaming platforms to see where the window is, what's over the line."

In his letter, Ek announced an investment of $100 million US to license, develop and market "music and audio content from historically marginalized groups," without giving more details.

On Monday, Canadian video-hosting platform Rumble, which has been shown to promote misinformation, extended an offer to Rogan via Twitter, pledging "we are ready to fight alongside you."

The company, with U.S. headquarters in Florida, proposed that Rogan bring all of his shows to its service, saying they would be presented free of censorship.