Timcast IRL · May 20, 2020 · 2h 0m

TimcastIRL #59 - Joe Rogan Podcast LEAVING Youtube After $100M Spotify Deal, Youtube Is Over Party

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Episode Recap

Timcast IRL episode #59, recorded on May 20, 2020, centered on Joe Rogan's monumental exclusive deal with Spotify reportedly worth over $100 million. Host Tim Pool and co-hosts discussed the implications for YouTube, analyzing how the platform's business model relies on volume rather than premium content deals. Tim shared personal experience about being locked into restrictive contracts with major media companies like ABC News and Fusion, drawing parallels to Rogan's situation. The hosts debated whether the reported $100 million figure represented an upfront payment or a complex licensing arrangement, with Tim explaining how such deals often work differently than the public perceives. The conversation touched on YouTube's declining CPMs and ad rates, suggesting Rogan's move might signal broader shifts in the podcasting industry. Additional stories briefly mentioned included the UN's language policing efforts, Ruby Rose quitting Batwoman, and Navy fighter jets, though the episode primarily focused on the Spotify-Rogan announcement and its ripple effects across the digital media landscape.

TL;DR

  • →Joe Rogan announced an exclusive podcast deal with Spotify reportedly worth over $100 million, moving his 11-year library to the platform by September 2020
  • →Tim Pool discussed his own negative experiences with media contracts, warning that upfront money often comes with restrictive golden handcuffs
  • →Hosts analyzed YouTube's business model, noting the platform relies on volume and high CPMs have declined, potentially making exclusive deals more attractive to creators
  • →The co-hosts debated whether Rogan's move signals a broader shift away from YouTube as the primary podcasting platform
  • →Tim explained that $100 million deals typically aren't simple upfront payments but complex licensing arrangements with various terms
  • →The conversation briefly introduced other stories including Batwoman/Ruby Rose quitting and UN language policing, though the Spotify deal dominated the episode

Key Moments

  • 0:00
    Opening and Introduction
    Tim and co-hosts welcome viewers, with immediate excitement about the Joe Rogan announcement
  • 2:30
    Breaking Down the Spotify Deal
    Reading the Wall Street Journal report on the $100 million exclusive deal
  • 4:00
    Tim's Contract Experience
    Tim shares personal story about being locked into a two-year contract with ABC/Fusion and how it damaged his career
  • 7:00
    YouTube Business Model Analysis
    Discussion about YouTube's reliance on volume, declining CPMs, and what Rogan's departure means for the platform
  • 10:00
    Implications for Podcasters
    Broader conversation about exclusive deals vs. open distribution and what it means for other creators
  • 14:00
    Other Stories Preview
    Brief mentions of Batwoman, UN language policing, and Navy fighter jets before wrapping main topic

Notable Quotes

“Joe Rogan! He's leaving! He's leaving all of us behind. Yes, he is. This is huge, man.”

— Tim Pool · opening with excitement about the breaking news

“YouTube, their bread and butter is their volume. The CPMs, the ad rates for YouTube, they're not good. And so they made money. Like, their bread and butter was the fact that they had a massive library of all this content flooding the market, crushing everyone else out.”

— Tim Pool · analyzing YouTube's business model and why Rogan's departure matters

“Congratulations for the, you know, 100 million bucks. We'll talk about what that really means.”

— Ian Crossland · co-host reacting to the news and suggesting the deal may be more complicated than it appears

“They give you this money and then it destroys you. So for like two years I was gone. Like I was making some stuff and some stuff did well, but it's like, I go from doing these on the ground, you know, viral million, you know, 5 million views overnight, Kim.com on Vice, then I did Ukraine, 2 million, Ukraine again, 2 million, and then I go to Fusion, and it's like, I wonder what happened to that Tim Pool guy.”

— Tim Pool · personal cautionary tale about restrictive media contracts

“Spotify strikes podcast deal with Joe Rogan worth more than $100 million. His full library, dating back 11 years, is to hit the service September 1st and become exclusive after that, before the end of the year.”

— Tim Pool · reading the breaking news report from the Wall Street Journal

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