Prince Harry and Meghan to Part Ways With Spotify

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.

Spotify and Archewell Audio, the production company started by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have ended their partnership less than a year after her podcast, “Archetypes,” debuted on the platform, the companies announced on Friday.

The companies said in a joint statement that they had “mutually agreed to part ways” and were “proud of the series” they made together.

It was unclear what led to the decision or whether the podcast would continue on another platform.

A spokeswoman for Archewell, a charitable foundation started by the couple, did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.

Although Harry and Meghan’s future with Spotify is uncertain, the couple has other business ventures — namely their multiyear deal with Netflix, which will see them make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.
In December 2020, nearly a year after Harry and Meghan gave up their royal titles, Spotify announced the partnership with Archewell Audio, for an undisclosed sum.

The couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, said in a statement at the time that they loved podcasting because it was a reminder to slow down and listen, “to connect to one another without distraction.”

“Archetypes” debuted in August 2022 and focused on investigating and dissecting the labels and tropes that are often attached to women to hold them back. The tennis superstar Serena Williams was the first guest on the podcast, on which Megan described her son’s brush with danger while the family was on tour in South Africa. Other guests on the 12-episode series included Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Issa Rae. The last episode, which focused on how men feel about archetypes, was released in late November.

Archewell Audio’s decision comes at a precarious time for Spotify, which has been tightening its belt. This month, the company said it planned to lay off about 200 people, including workers at the popular podcast studios Gimlet Media and Parcast. The company also laid off 6 percent of its work force, or about 600 employees, at the start of the year.