LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

U

Search

Many Voices, One Freedom: United in the 1st Amendment

March 28, 2024

M

Menu

!

Menu

Your Source for Free Speech, Talk Radio, Podcasts, and News.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Joe Rogan has become the surprise hero of the “Dark Winter of 2022” to freedom lovers everywhere by telling his success story of early treatment for COVID-19 and in talking frankly on his popular podcast with doctors of conscience like Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, and Dr. Robert Malone. Rogan’s courage has brought truth and hope to a whole generation of young adults.

Predictably, there has been a backlash. Rogan’s podcast is featured exclusively on Spotify, a major digital music outlet, both podcast, and video platforms. Spotify snared Joe Rogan exclusively in 2020 with a $100 million multi-year deal.1,2 Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young from the ’60s, told Spotify that it was him or Rogan. Joe Rogan had to go or Neil Young would go.

So Spotify waved goodbye to Neil Young. Then Joni Mitchell left. Not to be outdone, other celebrities have threatened to leave including Barry Manilow, Nils Lofgren (of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), Brene Brown, Ph.D. (researcher into shame issues), and the Foo Fighters (a band founded by the Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl).3

Joe Rogan over Neil Young

I recognize these artists from my own youth, and I am 70 years old. As another blogger said: “It’s no coincidence that the artists who have felt comfortable making a stand are of a certain generation that made their fortunes before the advent of streaming. No doubt the Spotify income is a nice earner for the artists in question, but they’re renowned enough not to need the additional exposure and have already made plenty of money from the music game over the pre-internet decades.”4

Younger artists who are still hungry and have more relevance, may not want to cut loose from Spotify. They may be less invested in virtue signaling their adherence to the COVID totalitarian party line. Or perhaps, like Jimmy Levy (a musician who, with rapper Hi-Rez wrote “Welcome to the Revolution”) these younger musicians are feeling the pressure of the totalitarian lockdowns and other restrictions that appear to be never-ending. They may know there is more to the story than what we are being told by legacy media and elites, along with the federal government.

But Spotify may have a bigger problem. The non-royal Royals—Meghan and Harry—who left the British Isles and the Royal Family to seek fortune for their fame in Hollywood, have weighed in. Off with his head, they signal, stating “we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant misinformation and disinformation every day…. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”

Megan and Harry have a $25 million content deal with Spotify.

Who are these people? The non-royal Royals don’t seem to realize that Joe Rogan is an American, and in this country, we are still fighting to hang on to freedom of speech. That First Freedom was formulated when the Colonies left Britain over two centuries ago.

Unfortunately, it isn’t only former members of the Royal Family and old-time rock stars who are stifling free speech and encouraging draconian censorship and totalitarian edicts from petty governors in the US and other tin hat dictators. Biden’s White House administration, through Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, has launched new calls for social media to do more to curb “misinformation.”

Media coverage of the cage fight between Rogan and the 1984ers, is predictably free of curiosity and inquiry.

Investors have jumped into the fray, selling off Spotify stock, which has lost “nearly 25% of its value in 2022 and 45% over the past year.”5 May be time to buy.

No one knows yet, how the cage fight will end. I am optimistic that the real heart of the match lies with the human spirit that yearns for freedom and liberty. Joe Rogan, embracing freedom of speech and with over 3,600,000 on Facebook, almost 12 million subscribers on YouTube, and holding the top place as a Spotify podcast is a winner no matter the outcome.

References:

1 Joe Rogan stats prove how Spotify move has been a massive success – Dexerto
2 
Spotify Strikes Podcast Deal With Joe Rogan Worth More Than $100 Million – WSJ
3 
Artists who left Spotify after Neil Young’s anti-Rogan stand – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
4 Spotify’s Joe Rogan controversy deepens as more artists leave | Tom’s Guide (tomsguide.com)
5 Spotify Stock (SPOT) Has Lost Nearly 25% of Its Value In 2022 (digitalmusicnews.com)

Cover Image: YouTube: JRE / Spotify

MANY VOICES, ONE FREEDOM: UNITED IN THE 1ST AMENDMENT

Join our community: Your insights matter. Contribute to the diversity of thoughts and ideas.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
5 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
dawn
dawn
2 years ago

I was born in the 70s. I considered myself stuck in the 80s. I find it sickening to see these artist who back then sung about rebellion and freedom. And now today they speak of conforming. i think not. Free thinker here. And I owe that to the music of the 60s,70s & 80s. Back before you all became hypocrites.
I stand with Joe Rogan & the truth……

Elizabeth Harper
Elizabeth Harper
2 years ago

Excellent piece. Especially liked ‘Media coverage…is predictably free of curiosity and inquiry.’ That’s an evergreen line these days for describing corporate media. 

Kilowag Magnusson
Kilowag Magnusson
2 years ago

The Breggin’s book will be foundational for the coming Nuremburg 2 trials at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Last edited 2 years ago by Kilowag Magnusson
Carol
Carol
2 years ago

Difficult to understand what ‘freedom’ is in jeopardy….Neil Young voted with his feet…that’s his right and his freedom. I boycott businesses who are loudly homophobic…that’s my right and freedom. Should Spotify ban Joe Rogan??? Don’t know…but freedom of speech is a guarantee in the constitution against government restrictions, not Spotify’s or any journalists’. Misinformation is dangerous…and Rogan’s guests have consistently gone WAY over that line. No, it’s not just about Joe’s stories about treating his own COVID…

Caroline R
Caroline R
2 years ago

“the non-royal royals…”
Hahahaha!😄
So well observed, Peter and Ginger.

Joe Rogan did give us hope, and that’s a precious commodity right now….along with truth.🇭🇲

Sitewide Newsfeed

More Stories
.pp-sub-widget {display:none;} .walk-through-history {display:none;} .powerpress_links {display:none;} .powerpress_embed_box {display:none;}
Share via
Copy link