Barack and Michelle Obama To End Podcast Deal With Spotify

Barack and Michelle Obama’s time with Spotify Technology SA is coming to an end.

via: Essence

According to Bloomberg, Barack and Michelle’s media company Higher Ground could not come to an agreement with the popular streaming service, stating that they wanted their content to reach a larger audience. The former First couple’s production company signed a three-year agreement with Spotify in 2019, and due to the terms of the deal, their projects were unable to reach an audience wide enough for the Obamas’ satisfaction.

After Higher Ground’s deal with Spotify ends in October, the company will not renew its contract, Bloomberg reported. Sources say that the production imprint is currently in talks with Amazon’s Audible and iHeartMedia, among others.

Since the deal began, Spotify has produced several podcasts from Higher Ground. Those shows include 2020’s The Michelle Obama Podcast, The Big Hit Show, Tell Them, I Am, and Renegades: Born in the USA, which was a series of discussions between Bruce Springsteen and former President Obama. According to the Bloomberg report, those podcasts will continue to air on the digital streaming platform through the fall.

Founded in 2018, Higher Ground created both scripted and unscripted television and film projects. Their documentaries – Crip Camp, Becoming, and American Factory – were all met with widespread acclaim, the latter winning an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Higher Ground and Spotify were partners on the shows under the current deal, meaning the future agreement would be for new programming.