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End of Harry and Meghan’s £18million Spotify deal after just one podcast series

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End of Harry and Meghan’s £18million Spotify deal after just one podcast series

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, have lost their lucrative Spotify deal after producing just one series on the social stereotypes around women.

This has been a sign that the couple’s “post-Megxit wave” is crashing, according to experts.

Variety, the entertainment industry bible in the US, reported that Spotify had pulled the plug because they wanted more content from Archewell Audio team.

The Wall Street Journal was the first publication to report the split between the Sussexes and Spotify, suggesting that they did not produce enough content to receive the full payout from the deal.

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told the Mail that the conclusion of the Spotify deal was a sign that Meghan’s brand wasn’t a box office winner.

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    He also said that the couple would have lost many millions from the Spotify deal, intimating that Meghan’s relaunch of her blog and lifestyle brand, The Tig, which she closed down when she got engaged to Harry, is near-certain as her options become more limited.

    PR expert Mark Borkowski said that the ending of the Spotify contract was bad news for Harry and Meghan’s brand and a sign that their star is falling.

    He estimated that it could cost them up to $10million, or £8million.

    Archewell delivered just one series – 12 episodes of Meghan’s Archetypes show last year on the social stereotypes around women – and a 30-minute festive special in 2020 featuring a handful of celebrity friends and their son Archie uttering his first words in public.

    Archetypes was initially successful when it was released last summer, and talks for a second series were said to be underway before they reportedly stalled.

    Spotify was said to have paid a staggering £18million to sign the Sussexes up for a “multi-year partnership” after they quit as working royals.

    The Sussexes highlighted a joint statement from themselves and Spotify saying they had “mutually agreed to part ways”.

    Sources familiar with the situation were also reported as saying Harry and Meghan “have wanted to move away from exclusive Spotify distribution to find a new home for their audio projects”.

    But the news is an unquestionable dent in the couple’s plans to conquer the US and turn themselves into a billion-dollar brand, if only from a perspective of credibility.

    Their six-part tell-all series last year roasting the Royal Family and British media was an undoubted commercial success, topping the most-watched charts for weeks.

    However, the couple has apparently vowed to step away from “look-back” projects and focus on producing new and original content.

    The only known show after Meghan’s plan for a children’s cartoon series on inspirational female figures was recently canceled is Harry’s Heart Of Invictus series, following his Paralympics-style event for injured service personnel.

    Netflix has insisted the series will air this summer, despite rumors it has also been canceled.

    Harry is believed to have a role both in front of and behind the camera.

    Spotify recently announced that it would be laying off around 200 staff – nearly 2% of its workforce – from its podcast teams.

    It cited difficulties in making podcasts profitable, despite their popularity.

    Speaking to Variety, industry sources stressed that the looming end of Archewell Audio’s pact with Spotify is unrelated to the podcast group’s restructuring.

    When they announced the deal in late 2020, Harry and Meghan said they wanted to produce programming that “uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” and “build community through shared experience, narrative, and values”.

    But Hollywood is notoriously tough, and the bottom line is money, with industry sources saying the Spotify podcast was a “scant but expensive return on their investment”.

    They also pointed out that Meghan had lost several key members of her podcast team, including her head of audio, before a second Archetypes series could be agreed.

    But Meghan, 41, has recently signed with leading talent agency WME, with plans to focus on building her “global enterprise”.

    It is less clear what Harry, 38, is doing.

    He is currently fighting several major legal battles in the UK against various media organizations and the Home Office and also works as the chief impact officer for the US-based online coaching service BetterUp.

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