05 October 2023 , 01:21
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Spotify's boss has hinted at why Meghan Markle's 'Archetypes' podcast was cancelled.
Meghan officially abandoned her Archetypes podcast after the £18million Spotify deal she and Prince Harry had collapsed. The Duchess of Sussex was the host of the podcast that ran for 12 episodes last year. In the award-winning series, Meghan sat down for personal interviews with artists, athletes, and experts discussing the history of stereotypes against women.
The stated purpose of the show was to "investigate, dissect and subvert the labels that try to hold women back" - however Spotify boss Daniel Ek has hinted there may have been "innovation" issues, claiming listeners weren't as "happy" as expected.
In a recent interview with BBC, 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".
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Meghan only delivered 12 episodes under the £18million deal (PA)
Under the terms of the 2020 deal, Harry and Meghan were signed on to produce and host “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world (Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)Ek added: "And the truth of the matter is, some of it has worked, some of it hasn’t,” he explained. “We’re learning from those and we are moving on. 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."
In June, the end of the couple’s partnership was first confirmed in a statement from Archewell Audio and Spotify. “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” the statement read.
Under the terms of the 2020 deal, Harry and Meghan were signed on to produce and host “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” in the form of podcasts that championed diverse voices. However during the Spotify partnership, Meghan only delivered 12 episodes.
Spotify boss Daniel Ek has hinted there may have been "innovation" issues, claiming listeners weren't as "happy" as expected (BBC)Before the podcast was cancelled, it was reported that Prince Harry was interested in interviewing Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Pope Francis and Mark Zuckerberg on the podcast with intentions of asking them more about their personal childhood traumas and upbringings. But before the show was cancelled, Meghan did manage to bring on a number of well-known celebrities including Serena Williams, Mindy Kaling, and Paris Hilton.
After their deal collapsed, the Sussexes attempted to gain exclusive copyright ownership of the name "Archetype". But after numerous requests, the couple were denied permission from the US Patent and Trademark Office as the title had a "likelihood of confusion" with another existing brand.