Barack, Michelle Obama End Spotify Podcast Deal After Being Frustrated by Exclusive Terms: Report

The Obamas had inked the Sportify exclusive podcast deal in 2019.

By Gadgets360 Staff with Inputs from ANI | Updated: 22 April 2022 13:55 IST

Barack, Michelle Obama End Spotify Podcast Deal After Being Frustrated by Exclusive Terms: Report

Originally inked in 2019, the Obamas have exited their exclusive pact with Spotify

Highlights

Production house's current deal with Spotify runs through October 2022
Higher Ground is currently in talks with other audio distribution compani
Spotify is working on improving podcast discovery on its apps

Ex-US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama's media company, Higher Ground, has ended its exclusive podcast deal with Spotify.

According to Variety, they are currently on the lookout for other partners in the podcasting space.

Originally inked in 2019, the Obamas have exited their exclusive pact with Spotify after being frustrated with the company's exclusive terms.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

Primarily, they want to have their podcast programming distributed as widely as possible, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

A news outlet has reported that Higher Ground has also disagreed with Spotify over how many of its shows would feature the former president and first lady.

The production house's current deal with Spotify runs through October 2022 and a source suggests that Spotify declined to make an offer to renew the agreement.

White House Order Said to Push Antitrust Enforcement Throughout US Economy

As per Variety, Higher Ground is currently in talks with other audio distribution companies, including Amazon-owned Audible and iHeartMedia, in hope of reaching a nonexclusive deal for its podcast content.

Meanwhile, Spotify is working on improving podcast discovery on its apps. The media streaming service is testing a new 'audio newsfeed' feature that'll help in easy discovery of podcasts. The feature is said to use a TikTok-style vertical scrolling feed that'll showcase 60-second podcasts clips. A limited number of users already have access to the feature, and it adds a new Podcasts button in the app. Spotify hasn't shared any details regarding the wider release of this feature.

Are affordable smartwatches worth it? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.