Are Harry And Meghan In Deep Water Over Their Spotify Deal?
Back in December 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were fresh off their shocking exit from the royal family and eager to find their footing stateside — particularly since, by stepping down as a senior, working member of the family, Harry no longer had any source of income. As BBC News reported at the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a lucrative deal with Spotify to produce and host podcasts. In a teaser trailer Harry enthused the couple's aim was "to bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven't heard before and find our common ground." Meghan and Harry signed an equally exciting deal with Netflix, again to produce a range of content.
The Sussexes' fee for their Spotify deal, which was in partnership with the couple's fledgling production company Archewell Audio, wasn't public knowledge at the time but has since been confirmed to be around $25 million, per the New York Post. The first episode of their podcast was scheduled for release during the festive period, with Meghan explaining, "We're talking to some amazing people, they're going to share their memories that have really helped shape this past year which has been, as we know, a difficult one for everyone."
It dropped to a generally decent response (via EW). However, in the ensuing months, serious questions have been raised about the particulars of the deal.
Have the Sussexes kept up their side of the bargain?
According to The Sun, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could soon find their massive, multimillion-dollar Spotify deal under threat considering they haven't released any content this year. The famous couple's first and only podcast episode came out in December 2020 and ran to just 35 minutes total. Since then, though, it's been crickets. However, despite the fact they haven't released anything personally, Harry has popped up on other podcasts including Dax Shepard's popular "Armchair Expert." Likewise, the couple obviously sat down for an exclusive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey back in March, while Meghan appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" just this month. Insiders claim Spotify have given the Sussexes a "gentle nudge" to release more content ASAP, to protect their payday. Meghan and Harry are reportedly working behind the scenes to do exactly that, including hiring veteran podcast producer Rebecca Sanaes to help out.
According to a source, "Spotify were delighted when they signed the couple, but the lack of content has mystified them. Particularly as they seem to have no problem producing content for other platforms." New episodes are expected to drop shortly however, maybe even in time for Christmas once more. Harry's biographer Angela Levin previously warned that the couple may be trying to do "too many things" at once, while legal experts have advised they'll need to release something this year to follow the terms of their contract with Spotify.