In 2020, Spotify acquired exclusive rights to “The Joe Rogan Experience,” escalating its podcast market presence. Rogan’s contentious content, especially during the COVID-19 debate, led to internal and external conflicts, highlighted by Neil Young’s ultimatum in 2022. This acquisition exemplifies the collision between traditional music and podcast publishing, placing Spotify in a complex role within media platformization and regulation, as discussed in Terje Colbjørnsen’s paper on the subject.
This article examines the opportunities and challenges that podcasts provide in literally hearing voices. It analyses the globally influential Joe Rogan Experience podcast to consider its acoustic impact on audiences.