Spotify, if we can keep it
A few years ago, Jakob Dylan — son of Bob and frontman of the Wallflowers — released a film in which he explored LA’s famed Laurel Canyon and met with a few of its most iconic inhabitants. As it happens, that canyon in the Hollywood Hills hosted many key figures of the 1960’s / 70’s counterculture, thus becoming a landmark in modern culture — and music. Neil Young and Joni Mitchell once lived there, so did Jim Morrison and Brian Wilson.
A few weeks ago, that same Neil Young released a statement announcing that he would remove his music from Spotify, the leading music streaming service in the world. The reason for that, as many/most know by now, was the presence on that same service of comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast. Over the past decade, that man built his own little media empire, recently striking a lucrative deal with the streamer. Coincidentally, he has long been known to hold debatable beliefs, occasionally hosting guests whose theories are downright reprehensible. Including on the unavoidable Covid-19 issue, but also — and long before that — on topics such as racial inequalities.
It stands to reason that a Laurel Canyon counterculture icon would decide to face off with the controversial comedian. Soon enough, Joni Mitchell joined in, and so did Graham Nash who was at one point bandmates with Young and lovers with Mitchell. More artists joined in, not all for the same reason: Young and Mitchell were after Covid-19 misinformation, rnb singer India Arie was after Rogan’s repeated use of the N-word. To some extent, that reaction worked: Rogan was not taken off the service, of course, but he had to release somewhat sincere apologies and Spotify announced new podcasting rules and regulations. That’s a start.
The backdrop of all this, in effect, is nothing short of a discussion on democratic freedoms, as many were quick to point out way before I started writing this otherwise brilliant piece. Indeed, the dilemma is always the same: by virtue of the freedom of speech principle, Joe Rogan can share any opinion he chooses, even if it is highly debatable, even if it is potentially dangerous, which hundreds of medical professionals publicly stated it demonstrably was. And other personalities, such as Neil Young or Joni Mitchell, are free to disagree and drive Rogan to a public apology. These are actions taken of everyone’s own free will.
There are a couple of issues in this scenario, however:
That it would take celebrities hitting back at another one spreading dangerous misinformation is a problem in itself. What if no personality notorious enough decided to say anything? And even with that, Rogan still got to keep his podcast on Spotify, him being the bigger fish in that digital pond. Indeed, the streamer would have been the only entity with the power to remove the comedian’s material — and very much chose not to. There are a reported 100 million reasons why.
The underlying fact that misinformations spread on Joe Rogan’s podcast, incidentally the most listened-to in America today, can be tied to unnecessary deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is perhaps a greater issue than freedom to speak one’s mind. When lives are literally at stake, a comedian’s right to utter a personal opinion is arguably secondary. Whether this should prompt a legal reaction from the authorities or not is another topic — society at large can do that perfectly well on its own.
In 1787, as Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was walking out of Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention, someone reportedly asked if this fledgling America was going to become a monarchy or a republic. To which Frankly is said to have replied “A republic, if you can keep it” (notice that it is “you” and not “we” there, by the way). The truth of the matter is, maintaining a democratic regime is an extremely perilous task, one that effectively requires members of its society to get involved both directly (by voting) and indirectly (by publicly influencing the discourse). For a constitution is nothing without its people enacting it, and because things change, so must the rules that govern said people. In this ever moving equilibrium, no one is safe from criticism, nor are they prevented from using their judgment…
Picture: © Neil Young Archives.