What You Can Learn from Joe Rogan's $100 Million Deal with Spotify
Joe Rogan announced the unprecedented $100 Million exclusive deal with Spotify on Episode #1476 with King of Queens star, Patton Oswalt.
Who is Joe Rogan?
If you say “Isn’t that the guy from Fear Factor?” you are hilariously out of touch. A lifetime ago, Joe Rogan was on Fear Factor, and News Radio. But these are small stepping stones to who Joe Rogan is today.
Today, he is a stand up comedian, the host of the most popular podcast garnering 190 million downloads a month, he is a commentator for the UFC and he also has a music video with Alex Jones called Belly of The Beast.
At age 19, Rogan won the US Open National Taekwondo Championship, remaining the Massachusetts state champion for four years. This built up his knowledge of martial arts and led to him landing the job as a UFC commentator. His payment? Free tickets for him and his friends. After numerous pro bono fights, Rogan did eventually negotiate a paid contract.
A rising tide lifts all ships and Joe Rogan is the perfect example of this. He’s continually promoting his friends and other comedians through the reach of his podcast. This makes Joe Rogan a powerful friend. Millions listen to his show and by giving exposure to lesser known comics or unique stories, he can turn comics viral with one 3 hour podcast.
What is the Joe Rogan Experience?
Joe Rogan named his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” after The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Rogan started his show back in 2009 where it was just him and his friends sitting on a couch and talking. Inspired by podcast pioneers like Tom Green and Adam Carolla, Rogan enjoyed the freedom to say and do whatever he wanted. Even if that meant hanging a sign that said “Make Me Hard.”
The typical Joe Rogan podcast is 3 hours long, which likely helps the YouTube algorithm decide on what content to recommend. And for various reasons, YouTube has demonetized the show, but Rogan also has sponsors on his audio version of the podcast.
Fun Fact: Netflix Original, Bright, showed Will Smith’s character watching the Joe Rogan Podcast while preparing to go to work. “Fairy lives don’t matter today!”
Rogan has tapped into an underutilized audience in the young macho male. But his audience is difficult to label as he has the martial arts side as well as the pro weed side. In many ways, Joe Rogan is a juxtaposition if not an outright walking contradiction. As Rogan likes to say, “I bring the meatheads together with the potheads.”
Perhaps what is most appealing about the Joe Rogan Experience, is the wide range of interesting guests. This is often the gateway into finding the podcast. Whereas, in the past, your agent would recommend celebrities go on Good Morning America to promote their new book or comedy special, they now go on Joe Rogan where they are given ample time to delve into their ideas.
Joe Rogan eschews the gotcha questions and soundbites that cable television preys on in favor of deep and longform discussions. This has allowed for discussions ranging from how and why Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology to the rise of Jordan Peterson and why he has become a controversial figure.
There is no typical Joe Rogan guest. There’s Alex Jones who believes the government is turning the frogs gay. (Spoiler alert: They are) Elon Musk has appeared twice to discuss trips to Mars and caused a big boogaloo when he smoked weed live on the show, which caused Tesla’s stock to momentarily crash. Ed Snowden appeared via video conferencing to discuss government surveillance. And he has a constant list of comedians such as Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings and Dane Cook.
By hosting such a wide range of guests, Rogan has been able to tap into a wide range of diverse audiences. And perhaps more interesting, he gives massive exposure to those who may struggle to find the limelight with conventional television. The Joe Rogan podcast is uncensored and is often full of F bombs, but that doesn’t mean it’s juvenile. Rogan is highly outspoken in his libertarian views and believes people should “Let their freak flag fly!”
“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.”
How does Joe Rogan Make Money?
The first sponsor on the Joe Rogan Podcast was the fleshlight. (Don’t google at work) He’s typically attraccted unique and unconventional sponsors like CBD oil, Nootropics and Kettlebells. Rogan sells Kettlebells and fitness equipment with Onnit. And he also sells merch through Higher Primate.
The podcast is a cultural revolution and with advertisement revenue, raked in about $30 million in 2019. This figure is double the 2nd most profitable podcast, “My Favorite Murder.”
Ultimately what’s worked for Joe Rogan is his consistent hard work and ability to carve out a niche. While most pursue traditional paths to success, Rogan has found an untapped market, used unconventional methods and persistently pushed himself when others would simply give up. Joe Rogan #1477 may get several million views, but his earlier episodes were less polished and popular, receiving as low as 50,000 downloads in the early days.
It takes years to build an empire like Joe Rogan’s. It takes dedication. It takes unique ideas. Now everyone knows the name Joe Rogan. Today Spotify wants to give him $100 million dollars. But it wasn’t that long ago that Joe Rogan wasn’t a household name. In fact, most older people are just now learning the name due to the headline news.
Living The Dream
Joe Rogan lives in an 8,720 square foot $5 million dollar mansion in Bells Canyon. But the real crown jewel is the “Joe Rogan Studio” a self-described decked out man cave. The JRE Studio has in addition to the recording studio, a full gym, archery range, sauna and sensory deprivation tanks.
Rogan owns a restomod 1965 Corvette Singray and a Tesla Model S which “makes other cars stupid.” Over the years he’s also owned a custom Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a 1970 Plymouth Baracuda, 2014 Ford Mustang, Toyota Supra and an Acura NSX.
From humble beginnings of sitting on his couch in his apartment with Brian Redban, to “Pull that shit up!” with young Jamie in his California Studio/Mancave, Joe Rogan has come a long way. And 1477 episodes later, the Joe Rogan Experience continues to shift the future of media. This move has cemented Spotify as a major player in the coming platform wars.
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When I think of the most interesting people I know, it’s not the hyper-specialized experts in one field. It’s the people who find a unique juxtaposition of different walks of life. I’m drawn to those who can be both physically fit and intelligent enough to write. Two skills that are not that common alone but uniquely rare when found in the same person.