The business relationship between Spotify, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan has ended, Variety reports. The couple has only presented one show under the agreement.
Spotify and Archewell Audio, Meghan and Harry’s production company, said Thursday in a joint statement that they were ending their contract.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,”
the companies said.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to move away from Spotify’s exclusive distribution to find a new outlet for their audio projects.
According to another source, however, Spotify was expecting more content from Archewell Audio – noting that nearly three years into the contract, they have only delivered one series, essentially putting the overall deal in limbo.
Another Spotify exclusive podcast was with Barack and Michelle Obama, which ended a year ago. In that case, Spotify said it declined to renew the deal. According to sources, the Obamas wanted their podcast programming to be distributed as widely as possible, rather than exclusive to Spotify. The pair’s Higher Ground subsequently inked a first-look deal with Audible.
Who will be the next celebrity with a short-lived exclusive podcast on the music streaming platform remains to be seen.
And which celebrity would you like to listen to on Spotify? Email us at [email protected].