Barack and Michelle Obama are ready to ditch Spotify when their contract with the audio platform expires this year. According to Bloomberg, the Obamas production company, Higher Ground, won’t be extending its deal with Spotify.
Higher Ground inked a contract with Spotify in 2019 as the Obamas prepared for their post-presidency media company. Now they’re ready to move on from the streaming giant.
Instead, the company is speaking to other distributors regarding an agreement worth tens of millions of dollars, among the most lucrative when it comes to the podcasting business.
Higher Ground is in discussions with various potential partners, including Amazon.com Inc.’s Audible and iHeartMedia Inc. In addition, the Obamas are looking for a deal that permits them to produce several shows and release the content on multiple platforms simultaneously.
Companies like Spotify are searching for exclusive content that can appear weekly or at least more frequently. The Obamas are each willing to appear in an eight-episode show, which isn’t enough commitment to justify a deal for some bidders.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
