Spotify CEO's Groundbreaking Insights from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Podcast Deal Gone Awry
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reflects on lessons learned from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's unsuccessful multi-million dollar podcast deal
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Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared some insight into what went wrong with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s multi-million dollar podcast deal.
"We believed that we could provide a remarkable experience that would bring immense joy to consumers and open up new opportunities for emerging creators. However, it is important to acknowledge that while certain aspects have been successful, others have fallen short of our expectations," explained Ek, 40, in a recent interview with the BBC, when questioned about the duke and duchess. This suggests that the collaboration between the streaming platform and the couple did not unfold as intended.
Without dwelling on the setbacks, Ek further stated, "We are gaining valuable insights from these experiences and moving forward. We genuinely wish those whom we did not renew with the utmost success in their future endeavors."
Harry and Meghan, aged 39 and 42 respectively, entered into a lucrative agreement with Spotify in 2020. It was reported that the deal was worth $20 million. As part of this agreement, their production company Archewell Audio released a 30-minute holiday special in 2020 and Meghan's series titled "Archetypes" which consisted of 12 episodes and aired in 2022.
However, less than a year after the premiere of "Archetypes" in August 2022, Archewell Audio and Spotify jointly announced that their exclusive partnership had reached its conclusion.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” the companies said in June via a joint statement.
The sudden departure sparked curiosity, leading Bill Simmons, a Spotify executive and the founder of The Ringer, to share his thoughts on the situation.
During a June episode of his self-titled podcast, Simmons, 54, expressed his regret at not being involved in the negotiations surrounding Meghan and Harry's departure from Spotify. He referred to them as "grifters" and expressed his desire to launch a podcast with them. Simmons also mentioned a Zoom conversation he had with Harry, which he regarded as one of his best stories. Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, were not surprised by Simmons' harsh comments. A source exclusively told We that they have been dealing with constant attacks and are tired of it.
The insider explained that the reason behind the deal falling apart was because Spotify had been requesting more content from Harry and Meghan in the past year, but the couple was not meeting the platform's expectations. Despite the unsuccessful partnership, the source mentioned that Harry and Meghan were determined to bounce back and had numerous exciting projects in store for the future.
The twosome, who tied the knot in 2018, share son Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 2.
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Meghan Markle
