The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, is parting ways with Spotify less than a year after the debut of their podcast “Archetypes.”
ByMichelle Chapman AP business writer
FILE – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit the track and field event at the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, April 17, 2022. The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan is parting ways with Spotify, Friday, June 16, 2023, less than a year after the debut of their podcast “Archetypes.” (AP Photo/Peter DeJong, File)
The Associated Press
The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, is parting ways with Spotify less than a year after the debut of its podcast “Archetypes.”
It’s not clear why the podcast hosted by Meghan is leaving the platform, but Spotify and Archwell Audio said in a joint statement that the decision was mutual.
Archwell entered into a multi-year partnership with Spotify in 2020 to create podcasts and shows that will tell stories through diverse voices and perspectives.
The podcast premiered last August with tennis great Serena Williams as a guest and was an instant hit.
It topped the Spotify charts in seven countries, including the US and the UK, and it won the top podcast award at the People’s Choice Awards last year.
“I loved getting my hands on the process, sitting up late at night in bed, writing and working on the creative. And I’ve loved digging deep into meaningful conversations with our diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them and listening to each and every one of you,” Meghan, Duchess of Sussex said at the time.
The show also featured guests Mariah Carey, Trevor Noah, Mindy Kaling and Paris Hilton.
Tech companies are cutting costs in a tough economic climate and Spotify is not immune. Six months after announcing that it would cut 6% of its global workforce, or about 600 jobs, Spotify said last week that it was laying off another 200 jobs.
The company said at the time that it would combine podcast networks Parcast and Gimlet into its Spotify Studio operation.
Prince Harry has been at the High Court in London this month. He is accusing the publisher of the Daily Mirror of using illegal techniques on an “industrial scale” to produce front-page scoops on his life. The Duke of Sussex became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in more than a century.
