Technology
The exclusive Michelle Obama podcast of Spotify will be available on other platforms beginning tomorrow.
Spotify made big headlines last year when it signed an exclusive podcast contract with Obama's Higher Ground production studio. The business has made a perplexing over-the-face today. The company says the first season of The Michelle Obama Podcast will be released on "a variety" of other podcast listening platforms beginning tomorrow, September 30—two weeks after the season 1 finale of the show.
The company hasn't explained which channels the show is going to have, but it's in talks with a few, including Stitcher, Google , Apple, and iHeart. A Spotify spokesperson confirms that future seasons, if the show is revived, would "debut exclusively" on Spotify, but did not specify if the show would be windowed or entirely exclusive to the app.
Obama's show expansion could help Spotify find a wider audience, thus pushing listeners back to the app.
This technique has been tested with other shows, including Dope Labs, Hitman's Son, and DVF's InCharge, although it's not clear whether those shows are winning Spotify listeners. It is also uncertain if the Higher Ground agreement always compensated for a broader release — the Representative of Spotify would not comment.
This news is a 180-degree flip for the audio company. While the approach has been piloted with other series, the Obamas are some of the biggest stars — and potentially the biggest investments — that Spotify has chosen to make available outside its website. The company's podcast aspirations gained attention because of its flamboyant acquisitions and big-name exclusive show releases, including Kim Kardashian West. In reality, Spotify's press release on the Higher Ground deal said the collaboration will "produce exclusive platform podcasts," so it's odd to see Spotify making this first show widely accessible after all the exclusive hype.
At the same time, in recent months, some exclusive hosts have complained about unfair offers. Joe Budden, one of the original exclusive Spotify hosts, criticized the site last month, claiming that he had intended to leave after his deal had ended on 23 September. The episode hasn't been published on his feed since September 19th. The hosts of The Nod, originally a Gimlet Media show, also said they wanted to own their podcast in June, because Spotify, which bought Gimlet, already owns the IP of the show.
It doesn't seem like the broader release of the Obama show came out of similar problems with Spotify, but it also seems like it's coming out of the left field.
