Congratulations to Rumble, not only are they the benevolent rival of evil YouTube, but also they are showing a massive marketing genius strategy. When Rumble asked Joe Rogan to leave Spotify and come on over to Rumble, offering a cool $100 MILLION dollars, it ruffled liberal feathers and garnered massive media attention, as well as created a buzz and name recognition all over the internet and social media. Unfortunately, from a legal perspective, a quick, easy, or smooth transition to Rumble is highly unlikely.
First of all, Joe Rogan probably signed a non-compete. This would stop the MMA legend from joining a competitive platform engaging in the same line of work for a period of time. These contracts are generally straightforward, difficult to challenge, and easily upheld in court. Non-competed have been overturned for being too long or too broad, limiting an individual’s ability to make a living. In this case, Spotify likely has excellent lawyers who are well-versed in writing non-compete agreements, so if Joe left, he would have to basically take a period of time off from his broadcasting career.
Another legal concern is Joe’s catalog of past episodes: who owns or leases them? This is also known as licensing. We know that Spotify has already removed several of Rogan’s episodes. This is an indicia that Spotify has some sort of ownership of Rogan’s past content for a period of time. So, even if he could leave, there’s a chance he’s leaving without his arsenal.
