Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially parted ways with audio streaming giant Spotify, RadarOnline.com has learned. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex first teamed up with Spotify in 2020 after they landed a $20 million deal with the company.
The partnership brought Meghan’s controversial podcast Archetypes to the platform. Hosted by the Duchess of Sussex herself, Meghan sat down with celebrity guests like Serena Wiliams, Trevor Noah, and Mindy Kaling, discussing the stereotypes cast on women throughout history.
With the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s break from the streaming giant, Archetype‘s highly-anticipated second season won’t be coming to Spotify after all.
Not one to miss out on a business opportunity, Meghan and Harry were said to be exploring other deals and options to continue producing content.
According to Deadline, Meghan signed with WME agency in April.
Meghan was already familiar with the agency, as WME represented the couple’s label, Archewell. The Duchess’ team at the agency consisted of brand rep Brad Slater and Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor.
While their time with Spotify is over, it’s clear that the Duke and Duchess had no intention of quitting their budding content empire any time soon.
Signing with the agency signaled the couple’s desire to continue producing content. An increase in television and film production was to be expected, as well as expanding brand partnerships and overall image development.
Meghan and Harry’s announcement came as Spotify fell on tough times.
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Last week Spotify, laid off 200 employees, with the majority being audio engineers. As podcast revenue for the platform took a hit, audio engineers found themselves on the chopping block.
The layoffs followed a 6% cut to staff that was made earlier this year. At the time, Spotify employed over 9,800 workers.
Given the circumstances, Spotify CEO Daniel Elk noted in April that the company was going to be “very diligent” about renewal contracts.