Spotify says it will invest $100 million toward content from 'historically marginalized groups' after criticism of Joe Rogan's podcast

• Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told staff the platform wouldn't be "silencing" Joe Rogan following criticism.
• Artists pulled their music from Spotify over Rogan's COVID-19 misinformation and racial language.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the company would invest $100 million for "licensing, development, and marketing" of music and audio content from "historically marginalized groups," an internal memo obtained by Axios reporter Sara Fischer said.

Ek also informed employees in the memo that he wouldn't be "silencing" Joe Rogan.

Rogan's podcast was the subject of controversy in the past few weeks after Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify after accusing the platform of spreading of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Young's move prompted other artists to pull their music as well.

Over the weekend, Rogan also apologized for using the N-word on his podcast after a video montage circulated by artist India Arie that showed him using the slur 24 times went viral.

"It's not my word to use," Rogan said, calling it "the most regretful and shameful thing" he'd ever had to address.

In the internal memo, Ek said the platform had talks with Rogan and his team about content, "including his history of using some racially insensitive language," and that Rogan chose to have some episodes pulled from the platform.

Ek said that while he opposed what Rogan said, he wasn't going to cut ties with the platform's top podcaster.

"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. And I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer," Ek wrote in the memo to staff.

Ek said the company should have clear lines about content, but he added that "canceling voices is a slippery slope."

Spotify did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.