Spotify Executive Calls Harry and Meghan ‘Grifters’ after Podcast Deal Ends

THE GUARDIAN: Bill Simmons, head of podcast innovation and monetisation at Spotify, spoke out after the couple’s $20m deal with the company ended prematurely

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend the annual One Young World Summit in Manchester in September 2022. A spotify executive has labeled the pair ‘fucking grifters’ Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetisation has labelled Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex “grifters” after their $20m, multi-year deal to make podcasts with the streaming platform came to an end after they made just 12 episodes.

Ringer podcast network founder Bill Simmons – who sold his company to Spotify for $196m in 2020 and gained a leadership role at the company in the deal – criticised Harry and Meghan on his own podcast, following the announcement that the Sussexes’ audio production company, Archewell, had severed ties with Spotify. The couple signed a $20m deal with Spotify in 2020.

The Archetypes podcast, which was hosted by Meghan, featured conversations with friends and celebrities including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Trevor Noah. It topped the podcast charts for Spotify in a number of markets, but only 12 episodes were made. » | Sian Cain | Monday, June 19, 2023

What does end of Spotify deal mean for Harry and Meghan?: Streamer and couple said it was a mutual decision but a PR expert says it looks bad for their brand »

Why Spotify's Big Bet on Meghan Fell Flat

PA MEDIA
BBC: When Spotify signed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with an exclusive deal reportedly worth about $20m (£15.6m) in 2020, the royal couple were taking their first steps into the commercial world and podcasts were positively booming.

How times have changed.

These days, Prince Harry and Meghan's brand has waned in the eyes of some and Spotify is reducing its reliance on the big celebrity signings and expensive original content that have weighed on its bottom line.

Meghan’s podcast became one of the most high-profile casualties this week when Spotify and the duke and duchess's Archewell Audio announced they would be parting ways in a mutual decision.

It came after Spotify's deal with Barack and Michelle Obama's production company ended last year. Spotify has let go hundreds of staff since that time, hitting the expansive podcasting division, a hotchpotch of podcasting companies it spent more than $400m acquiring just a few years ago. » | Natalie Sherman, Business reporter, New York | Saturday, June 17, 2023

What does end of Spotify deal mean for Harry and Meghan?: Streamer and couple said it was a mutual decision but a PR expert says it looks bad for their brand »

Prince Harry and Meghan to Part Ways With Spotify: The couple’s production company and the streaming service announced an end to their relationship, less than a year after Meghan’s podcast debuted on the platform. »

Ludovic : « J’ai dit à ma femme : “Je suis amoureux, mais d’un homme” »

LE MONDE : La nouvelle saison du podcast « S’aimer comme on se quitte » est diffusée cet été. Dans ce cinquième épisode, retrouvez le témoignage de Ludovic, 49 ans, interprété par Medi Sadoun.

« S’aimer comme on se quitte » est une série de témoignages recueillis par Lorraine de Foucher et publiés par Le Monde. Pendant l’été 2021, Le Monde et Spotify diffusent la saison 2 du podcast issu de cette série. » | Le Monde | samedi 31 juillet 2021

Spotify : Écoutez l’episode ici.