Decorated filmmaker Ava DuVernay's production company Array has cut ties with Spotify after just signing a multi-year first-look deal with the streamer last year, as confirmed by The New York Times.
While neither Array nor Spotify has publicly commented on the company's decision to back out of the deal, the move coincides with a mass exodus of musicians, who have requested their catalogues be taken down in protest of Spotify's continued platforming of controversial podcaster Joe Rogan.
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and India.Arie have all made their desires to exit Spotify known this year, with Young leading the charge against Rogan's "COVID disinformation" campaign, and India.Arie citing the podcaster's repeated use of racial slurs and racist commentary, as well as Spotify's notoriously low compensation rates for artists.
Array was due to produce several scripted and unscripted podcasts with Spotify studio, Gimlet.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has maintained a firm stance in support of Rogan, confirming his company's plans to keep his multimillion-dollar podcast The Joe Rogan Experience on the platform in a statement earlier this month: "We don't change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle, or calls from anyone else," he said.
While neither Array nor Spotify has publicly commented on the company's decision to back out of the deal, the move coincides with a mass exodus of musicians, who have requested their catalogues be taken down in protest of Spotify's continued platforming of controversial podcaster Joe Rogan.
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and India.Arie have all made their desires to exit Spotify known this year, with Young leading the charge against Rogan's "COVID disinformation" campaign, and India.Arie citing the podcaster's repeated use of racial slurs and racist commentary, as well as Spotify's notoriously low compensation rates for artists.
Array was due to produce several scripted and unscripted podcasts with Spotify studio, Gimlet.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has maintained a firm stance in support of Rogan, confirming his company's plans to keep his multimillion-dollar podcast The Joe Rogan Experience on the platform in a statement earlier this month: "We don't change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle, or calls from anyone else," he said.
