The Sussexes are set to lose 'full payout' after Spotify cancelled Archetypes. Photo / Netflix
The Sussexes are set to lose 'full payout' after Spotify cancelled Archetypes. Photo / Netflix
Meghan Markle’s podcast Archetypeswill not be renewed by Spotify for a second season due to the streaming platform making big changes and revamping its output, reports Daily Mail.
The podcast, which explores the “labels that try to hold women back”, was cancelled following conversations a few months ago regarding its pending second series.
Meghan's Archetypes podcast. Photo / Spotify
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex allegedly signed a US$20 million ($41m) deal with Spotify back in 2020. However, sources close to the audio giant have revealed that the royals didn’t meet the productivity requirements to receive the full payout, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Despite this, Meghan is still planning to produce more podcasts via a different platform.
The Archetypes series featured interviews with the likes of tennis champion Serena Williams, pop star Mariah Carey and South African talk show host Trevor Noah.
The cancellation of the podcast comes after insiders revealed that the Montecito royals were halting their attack on the royal family via tell-all Netflix documentaries, memoirs and sit-down interviews, as they have “nothing left to say”.
Copies of Prince Harry's book called "Spare", released in January. Photo / AP
Spotify allegedly was in talks with Meghan regarding a second series of Archetypes a year earlier, however discussions later stalled.
WME, the talent agency that just signed the Duchess of Sussex, told the Wall Street Journal: “The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”
When the podcast premiered, it reached the top of Spotify’s charts.
News of the podcast being axed comes after Spotify announced they were laying off nearly 200 staff members - amounting to 2 per cent of their workforce - who work in the podcasts sector.
The streaming giant put the cut back down to struggles making the podcasts profitable, despite Spotify being popular among listeners.
Meghan Markle during the first episode of her Archetypes podcast. Photo / Spotify
Talks of Archewell - the Sussexes production company - publishing more content are ongoing, reports Daily Mail.
Additionally, rumours have been swirling about Meghan and her hopes to revive her lifestyle and wellness blog The Tig in a competitive move against Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website, which is reportedly worth £200m (NZ$410m).
