Amouranth's Response To Joe Rogan's Spotify Drama Explained
Amouranth recently issued what seems to be a joke ultimatum to Spotify to chose between her and Joe Rogan. However, those who aren't caught up on internet drama might not understand the joke.
Neil Young wrote a now-deleted open letter to Spotify regarding the controversial podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. As one of the most popular podcasters on the platform, Rogan has sparked controversy with health professionals because of his skewed views on vaccines and virology. Young alleged that Spotify was complicit in "spreading fake information about vaccines" by allowing Rogan's recent episodes to air.
"I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both," he said (via BBC).
However, it wasn't going to be easy to convince Spotify. According to The Wall Street Journal, the service reportedly paid over $100 million to acquire exclusive rights to The Joe Rogan Experience last year. Ultimately, the streaming platform chose Rogan and, as Young requested, removed all his music from the platform. Chaos ensued as fellow musicians such as Joni Mitchell, India Arie, and Graham Nash threatened to follow Young out the door if Spotify didn't remove Rogan from the platform. He and Spotify compromised by adding disclaimers to his episodes in order to better inform listeners.
Most people were satisfied with the outcome, enough so that the White House even applauded Spotify's handling of the situation, according to one BBC article. Now that the dust has settled a bit, Amouranth has decided to chime in.
What Amouranth had to say about Rogan vs. Young
Amouranth tweeted her ultimatum about two days after Spotify and Rogan resolved the feud with Young and the other musicians. Her tweet didn't seem to imply any hard feelings — more like she thought it'd be amusing to reference it.
"If Spotify doesn't remove Joe Rogan, then I will be removing my rap video from the platform. They can have me or Joe Rogan. Not both," she wrote. Amouranth debuted on the platform with her rap video "Down Bad" earlier last month. She later revealed that "Down Bad" was possibly just the beginning of her music career, and that she would record an entire album if it reached 1 million views.
Some might think Amouranth is serious about her ultimatum, but she has a history of trolling. Even "Down Bad" seems to be an elaborate gag, featuring cameos from many famous streamers known for their trolling behavior. One commenter played along, thanking Amouranth for taking a "principled stand." This prompted another fan to say, "She's being sarcastic, my dude." Then, Amouranth all but confirmed the joke by saying, "She's a terrible music anyways."
Hopefully, Spotify will catch on and keep "Down Bad" available for its listeners to enjoy.