Spotify has parted with Prince Harry and Meghan's podcast production company.
The popular podcast platform recently announced it had ended its multimillion-dollar deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's podcast production company, Archewell Audio, for undisclosed reasons.
The two companies entered the deal they just ended in Dec. 2020, per Tech Crunch.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala at New York Hilton on December 06, 2022 in New York City.
Spotify-Archewell Studio Split Details
Spotify mentioned in a joint statement with Archewell that the two companies had mutually agreed to part ways after more than two years of collaboration, saying it is proud of the series they made together, per The Guardian.
Although the two companies didn't reveal the reason behind the deal's end, unnamed sources claim that Price Harry and Meghan are rethinking their deals, resulting in them moving away from exclusive Spotify distribution to find better homes and partnerships for Archewell's content. Similarly, another unnamed source said that Spotify had been expecting more content from Archewell, per Variety.
You may recall that the company's mission is to produce programming that "uplifts and entertains audiences around the world," which includes Markle's podcast show called "Archetypes." The podcast show, which the Duchess hosts, is where she deconstructs the history of societal stereotypes about women, which premiered in Aug. 2022.
While it hit no. 1 on Spotufy's charts in multiple countries, it is worth noting that Archewell has yet to produce more podcasts to host on Spotify, per the BBC, as evidenced by the company's webpage on the audio streaming platform. As such, Spotify wasn't receiving the full value of the contract with Archewell.
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While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's content can find a new home and partnership, they are also diversifying how to get them out; Markle previously signed for representation with WME to build their film and TV production, brand partnerships, and overall businesses, per an earlier Variety report.
Regardless, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure from Spotify isn't the only time a famous public figure left the platform. You may remember that Barack and Michelle Obama's production firm, Higher Ground Productions, parted with Spotify in April 2022 due to the latter company not inking a deal to distribute Higher Ground's content.
Spotify's Woes
Harry and Meghan's departure from Spotify follows the company's layoff of 200 employees in May, notably audio engineers, as part of its efforts to restructure its podcast operations. According to the company, it made the "difficult but necessary" decision to make a strategic realignment to reduce costs.
It also laid off 6% of its workforce, or nearly 600 employees, in late January as part of its efforts, with Dawn Ostroff, Spotify's chief content and advertising business officer, departing the company, per The Hollywood Reporter. The company joined Meta, Amazon, and other tech giants who had to lay off thousands of employees due to the unsustainable growth it saw during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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