Obamas Reportedly Set to Leave Spotify

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Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are reportedly planning to leave Spotify as their contract comes to an end later this year.

According to Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman and Lucas Shaw, the Obamas are currently shopping their content around town through their production company Higher Ground after Spotify, which held exclusive rights to their shows, chose not renew their contract.

Back in June 2019, the Obamas signed an exclusive contract with the streaming platform, much like the deal later inked by comedian Joe Rogan, to host their own podcasts. The deal came on the heals of the couples similar agreement with Netflix.

Now, Bloomberg reports, the Obamas are looking for a more lucrative deal with less time commitment because “Spotify wanted more shows featuring two of the most famous people in the world, while Higher Ground hoped to use their deal to provide a platform for a range of voices.”

It was also reported that the couple was only willing to appear in eight episode seasons which dwarfs in comparison to shows like The Joe Rogan Experience which releases up to four episodes a week and Call Her Daddy which has just increased their weekly content to two episodes, including a live show.

Sources close to the matter told Bloomberg that among those interested, iHeart Media and Amazon appear to be frontrunners.

During their time at Spotify, Barack premiered Renegades: Born in the USA, which launched in February of 2021 with co-host, singer Bruce Springsteen. The show has only released nine episodes, the most recent being from April of 2021.

Similarly, Michelle premiered The Michelle Obama Podcast in July 2020. The show released thirteen episodes, with the most recent release being from April 2021.

Spotify has been struggling with their exclusive contract deals, the most prominent being Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The couple singed their exclusive contract back in December 2020 and only just announced the launch of a podcast hosted by Markle titled Archetypes in March of 2022.

Leading up to that announcement, Spotify reportedly bent over backwards to make sure Markle and the Prince would stay with the company after they threatened to walk from their contract, expressing concerns over Rogan pushing ‘Covid misinformation’.