Spotify’s exclusive podcast deal with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is likely ending — with the couple having delivered just one show under the agreement, Variety has confirmed.
Reps for Spotify and Archewell Audio, the couple’s podcast production shingle, declined to comment.
According to a source familiar with the situation, there have been “creative differences” between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the audio-streaming giant that prompted the couple to want to move away from exclusive Spotify distribution and find a new home for their audio originals.
Another source said that Spotify expected more content from Archewell Audio — noting that nearly three years after inking the pact, they have delivered only one series. That show for Spotify is Markle’s “Archetypes,” in which she deconstructs the history of societal stereotypes about women, which had hit No. 1 on the company’s charts in multiple countries.
“Archetypes,” released Tuesday exclusively on Spotify, is No. 1 on the streamer’s podcast charts for the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Next week’s episode will feature a conversation between Markle and Mariah Carey.
Archewell Audio first inked the exclusive podcast pact with Spotify in late 2020, in a deal worth about $20 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company’s mission is “producing programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world,” as well as “spotlights diverse perspectives and voices” and “builds community through shared experience, narratives and values.”
More to come.