Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell production firm says it’s satisfied that Spotify is adequately addressing the problem of misinformation on its platform — and announced that a podcast featuring Markle will hit the audio-streaming platform this summer.
The latest development comes after the couple in January said they were urging Spotify to make changes to prevent “serious harms” from COVID misinformation present on its platform. The couple’s statement did not call out Joe Rogan, but the popular podcaster — whose show is exclusively available on Spotify — was the target of a Spotify boycott instigated by Neil Young and joined by other musicians and talent, who were protesting COVID misinfo on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
According to a rep for Archewell Audio, the company has been encouraged by ongoing conversations with Spotify execs about implementing policies, practices and strategies to raise creator awareness, minimize the spread of misinformation and support transparency.
As a result, Archewell Audio said, it is continuing production of the Duchess of Sussex’s first podcast series, set to launch this summer.
Harry and Meghan parted ways with the British Royal family last year. In 2020, their Archewell set a deal with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts that “build community through shared experience, narratives and values.” To date, it has released just one podcast — a holiday special in December 2020. Spotify’s Gimlet earlier this year posted job listings seeking to hire a new team to produce a weekly podcast show with Archewell featuring “high-profile women.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex formed Archewell in 2020. In addition to their deal with Spotify, Archewell Productions has an exclusive deal with Netflix.
