Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had “so many ideas turned down” by Spotify before their deal was axed, a royal author has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s deal with the music streaming service was axed in June 2023, after Meghan only released one podcast, Archetypes, consisting of 12 episodes.
In his new book Endgame, published today, the royal biographer claimed the couple did not expect Spotify to “turn down so many of their ideas”.
According to Scobie, the Sussexs have since learnt a “mountain of lessons” about business dealings.
WATCH NOW: Meghan Markle ‘furious at royals’, commentator claims
Harry and Meghan were in a “rush to sign commercial deals” because “the royal institution cut them off from all funding and security in 2020”, he wrote.
The duke and duchess stepped down from royal duties that year and subsequently moved to Montecito, California.
This led the couple to sign their lucrative deal with Spotify, which was mainly due to “financial pressure”, the royal author argued.
Meghan and Harry also signed a deal with Netflix, which has seen them produce lots of content including a self-titled documentary about their lives since stepping down as working royals.
Meghan and Harry have made a name for themselves in the US
PA
Scobie added: “When the couple signed a contract worth up to £15million ($20million) with Spotify to develop podcasts, neither of the two expected executives to turn down so many of their ideas.
“The streamer, said a company source, was only interested in paying out for juicy goods that could generate major headlines and bring in subscriptions.
“Only a portion of that $20million was ever paid out and the two parties ‘mutually agreed’ to part ways in the summer of 2023.”
When it was announced that the duke and duchess’s Spotify deal had been axed, the streaming platform’s CEO gave some insight into why this was the case.
Meghan put out 12 episodes of Archetypes
REUTERS
Meghan Markle’s deal with Spotify was mutually ended in June
Spotify
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said: “We thought new innovation was needed to happen here.
“We thought we can come in and offer a great experience that both makes consumers very happy and allows new creators new avenues.
“The truth of the matter is some of it has worked, some of it hasn’t.
“We’re learning from those and we are moving on and we wish all of the ones we didn’t renew with the best of success they can have going forward,” he told the BBC.
