Back in December, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry signed the dotted line on a multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify. Six months later, many are craving the content they’ve yet to deliver.
Through their Archewell Audio imprint, the couple signed a reported $25M deal with the platform to produce podcasts and other programming “that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world.”
Thus far, however, they’ve produced a three-minute trailer and their 34-minute Christmas Special, which premiered shortly after news of the deal went public in December.
The couple are also currently on parental leave after the birth of their daughter Lilibet two weeks ago, leading observers to believe they won’t be providing fresh content anytime soon.
“We’re being told they’re having up to five months off and people who are paying them a lot of money will expect something in return,” insisted Royal author Phil Dampier to The Sun.
“They seem to be using up a lot of ammunition very early and putting a lot of stuff out there in terms of deals and agreements with lots of firms,” he continued. “The question might be asked whether they have too much on their plate.”
That’s certainly a possibility, as raising two children while navigating the royal fallout following Megxit appears to have taken precedence for the Sussexes.
Many struggling musicians who stream through Spotify took issue with the initial deal, believing the couple’s $25 million payday was excessive when others have yet to receive a check from the platform.
“I’ve been writing songs since I was 12 years-old,” singer-songwriter Callum Gardner told the Star in April. “I don’t get paid from Spotify, it’s never broken even from the money I used to put songs on Spotify. It’s hard, I don’t know what we are supposed to do because they have all the power and somehow all of the artists have all agreed.”
Another young musician, Harrison Rhys, said the Spotify deal with the prince and his wife was an “unethical kick in the teeth.”