Obamas leaving Spotify, exploring other options for new podcast deal

Former President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, is ending its deal with streaming platform Spotify and reportedly exploring other options for a new podcast deal. 

In a statement on Thursday, a Spotify spokesperson told The Hill that it has declined to extend its deal with the production company but said its content “is expected to remain available on Spotify.”

The deal between Higher Ground and Spotify is expected to end this fall. 

Bloomberg News first reported on Wednesday about Higher Ground’s new direction, noting that the production company is talking to several potential partners such as Amazon’s Audible and iHeartMedia Inc. 

The production company is seeking to reach a deal in the coming weeks that will allow it to produce several shows and distribute them on multiple platforms, with the possible deal worth up to tens of millions of dollars, sources told Bloomberg. 

Higher Ground, launched in 2018 with the goal of lifting up diverse voices, announced its initial partnership deal with Spotify in 2019, helping the Swedish streaming giant develop and produce exclusive podcasts, including the popular “The Michelle Obama Podcast.” 

Spotify has recently seen popular musicians such as Neil Young, India Arie, Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren remove their music from the streaming platform in protest of COVID-19 misinformation on the platform’s popular podcast hosted by Joe Rogan.

In response, Spotify announced new changes to its platform rules which include a content advisory for any podcast episode on the app that discusses COVID-19.