Posted on 04/30/2022 12:04:35 AM PDT by Zhang Fei
The Obamas are searching for a new home for their podcasts after Spotify reportedly declined to offer the former first couple a new contract because they didn’t make enough personal appearances on the streaming service.
Barack and Michelle Obama are reportedly in talks with several companies, including Amazon’s Audible and iHeartMedia, on a deal that will likely be worth tens of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg News.
The ex-president and the former first lady, who co-own the production company Higher Ground, will reportedly decide on their podcasting platform of choice sometime within the next few weeks.
Higher Ground is said to be seeking an arrangement that would allow it to release shows on several platforms simultaneously.
One of the sticking points in negotiations with Spotify was the Swedish company’s insistence on an exclusive licensing deal.
Even if the Obamas produce podcasts for another company, those shows will in all likelihood make their way to Spotify anyway.
Streaming services want the Obamas to make more frequent appearances themselves in order to generate more buzz for their company’s content, but the former first couple is reportedly willing to commit to no more than an eight-episode program.
Higher Ground was paid a reported $25 million after signing with Spotify in 2019.
The streaming service debuted exclusive content including “The Michelle Obama Podcast” as well as “Renegades: Born in the USA,” which the former president co-hosted with Bruce Springsteen.
But the partnership left both sides unsatisfied. Spotify wanted the couple to produce more content in which they would be the headline acts, while the Obamas preferred to remain in the background while spotlighting “new, young voices,” according to Vanity Fair.
The Obamas were also reported to be frustrated that the exclusivity deal with Spotify was preventing them from reaching wider audiences.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Please! No mo Mo.
Barry O will just tell the Alzheimer Puppet to have the IRS audit Spotify, and the problem is solved, doncha know…
Their books are starting to flood the dollar and 59 cents bargain bins.
“Higher Ground”.. Talk about self-important.
No, of course. That's nonsense. Spotify dropped them like week-old garbage because they were losing money. That's the only motivation for any business. The answer to any mystery involving a business transaction is always the same.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!
>> [they] were lazy
lol
Who wants to listen to a homo and a tranny grifters complain about racism in a country the looted their whole miserable lives?
This guy does! That’s who!
Yeah, that is what i.immediately thought.
The Obamas are lazy? Oh, what a stereotype.
File a mechanics lien.
I think the Ubama’s wanted so few appearances because their ability to generate varied and cogent content beyond that is limited - impossible. The breadth of their intellectual and ideological mindset just isn’t there. How many ways can you really say the same stuff? The ‘there’ isn’t there.
Lazy was the first word to come to mind. Two slugs who want money for nothing.
You cannot produce more of what you do not have. These are "contentless" people.
No one is going to listen.
It’s like their book deals. Nothing but money laundering. When republicans do it, they go to jail.
Bur Meghan Markle still has her deal...?
The puppet? LOL they won’t even bother him with the order he would ef it up, it’s direct to the putative POTUS Valjar.
Netflix wants in on that one too! They are out like a $100M.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.