UFC color commentator Joe Rogan recently renewed his Spotify podcasting deal for a reported $250 million, which should come as good news for current subscribers — as well as non-subscribers. That’s because The Joe Rogan Experience will no longer be exclusive to Spotify, giving competing platforms like YouTube and Apple Podcasts an opportunity to stream the long-running series.
Wall Street Journal shared the news on Friday.
Rogan has dominated the top of the podcasting charts for most of his Spotify career, which did not come without its share of controversy. That said, his iron grip on the No. 1 spot has continued to loosen over the years, thanks to the rise of gaming, true crime, and celebrity podcasts like What Now? With Trevor Noah.
No telling if this new Spotify deal feels just as “gross” as the last one.
“I think podcasting is an art form and I definitely sucked at it when I first started,” Rogan said. “I was curious, but I didn’t understand how to make a conversation flow. I didn’t know when to shut up and listen, and I didn’t know how to make someone comfortable so that you can get the most out of their perspective. I’ve learned how to assist the conversation’s flow instead of waiting for my turn to talk. I learned how to be fully locked in with what the other person is saying.”
“A lot of what helps is that I’ve done it for so many hours and learned how to do it better over trial and error, but also that I only have people on the show that I’m genuinely interested in talking to,” Rogan continued. “I never do a podcast just because a person is popular. It’s always from a place of ‘I think it would be cool to talk to that person.’ I’ve also learned so much — not just from all the episodes themselves — but also from all the audiobooks I’ve listened to, articles and books that I’ve read, and documentaries I’ve watched either for the show, or because of the show. I always feel like, in starting this podcast, I stumbled into this fantastic accidental education just by being interested in talking to people, and being fortunate enough that people want to listen.”
Rogan will return to the commentary table for UFC 298 in Anaheim.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
