Journalists are continuing to pick over the ramifications of Spotify’s exclusive licensing deal for podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. The New York Times has some useful insights on the way Rogan’s success “was made possible, at least in part, by legacy media’s blind spots”, adding that “unpredictability, that willingness to take risks with topics, tone and guests, is one of the reasons podcasting is eating our lunch”. New York magazine, meanwhile, has some bold predictions by journalist Kara Swisher and author Scott Galloway. “I think they’ll end up with one ad-supported model or a model for seven or ten minutes, and then you have to pay for the full thing. I would be shocked if within three years Joe Rogan isn’t behind a wall and the only way you access Joe Rogan is to be a subscriber to Spotify. That’s where the money is,” said Galloway – a prediction that assumes Spotify will be prepared to premium-window podcasts in a way that it’s always strenuously resisted for music. Meanwhile, The Verge has a piece analysing what Rogan’s Spotify deal means for podcasting on YouTube, where his show will soon only have clips available.
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