Comedian Joe Rogan has signed a deal to air his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, exclusively on Spotify.
Rogan’s podcast currently receives tens of millions of downloads per month, and is currently available for free on YouTube and Apple’s podcast app. Spotify, a streaming services platform, offers listeners free access to content with ads, as well as an ad-free version for $10 a month.
Shares of Spotify shot up 11 percent, to as high as $179, upon news of the deal.
“Starting on September 1 the podcast will be available on Spotify as well as all platforms, and then at the end of the year it will move exclusively to Spotify,” Rogan wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Rogan’s agreement is defined as a “multiyear license agreement” that will allow the comedian to retain ownership of his work.
“Since its launch in 2009, the pioneering Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) has broken ground and built one of the most loyal and engaged fan bases in the world,” Spotify said in a statement. “Rogan brings his sensibilities as a stand-up comic to the show, and alongside dynamic and diverse guests, he fearlessly broaches far-ranging topics.”
Rogan has drawn criticism from mainstream pundist for hosting controversial guests on his program, including conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones.
The comedian said he would endorse Bernie Sanders if the Vermont senator won the Democratic primary. Sanders received backlash over the endorsement, with supporters dismayed by Rogan’s insistence that males should not be allowed to compete against females in athletics simply because they identify as women.
With the defeat of Sanders, Rogan said he would rather vote for President Trump than Joe Biden, who he has repeatedly argued is mentally unfit for the job.
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