Twitter users have taken to social media in droves to poke fun at the trailer for Harry and Meghan’s new Spotify podcast.
The couple will produce and host their own shows as part of the newly formed Archewell Audio – starting with a ‘holiday special’ that ‘uplifts audiences around the world’.
It is not known how much the Spotify contract is worth, but the streaming service agreed a £75m ($100m) deal with US comedian Joe Rogan in May.
And social media users have been quick to point out the juxtaposition of the couple asking for privacy from the media before putting themselves in the spotlight.
The couple (seen in a talk from October) will produce and host their own shows, starting with a holiday special that will be released this month
The couple’s newly formed Archewell Audio will produce programming that ‘uplifts and entertains audiences around the world’ and features ‘diverse perspectives and voices’
One Twitter user wrote: ‘Hi guys, I’m Harry! And I’m Meghan. And we love our privacy. New podcast deal to uplift and entertain audiences around the world will defo amuse.
‘Should have called it train-crash radio. Be prepared for more woke preaching and product placement.’
Another wrote: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family because they sought the same kind of normal, private life regular people enjoy.
‘They longed for the life’s simple and anonymous pleasures, like launching a new heavily publicised podcast and national promotional tour.’
Another said: ‘Why on earth do they think we want to listen to their woke word salad?’
Social media users have been quick to point out the juxtaposition of the couple asking for privacy from the media before putting themselves in the spotlight
And another wrote: ‘Didn’t they leave the UK to escape the public eye?’
Other users pointed out that the couple may not be the most relatable podcast hosts.
One wrote: ‘Coming up on the Prince Harry Meghan Markle podcast:
‘So You’ve Chosen the Perfect Castle.
‘True Crime: The Strange Case of Uncle Andrew.
‘Blow A Million On Your Pregnancy.
‘How To Eat Slower Than the Queen When You’re Really Hungry.’
Other users pointed out that the couple may not be the most relatable podcast hosts
The Sussexes’ agreement comes just months after the royals agreed a £100million partnership with Netflix.
A trailer clip of Archewell Audio was released today, accompanied by a short description which reads: ‘Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, present Archewell Audio. Coming soon to Spotify.’
Prince Harry then says: ‘Hi guys, I’m Harry’ before Meghan says: ‘And I’m Meghan’, with both choosing not to use their titles.
Meghan then says: ‘One of the things my husband and I have always talked about is our passion for meeting people and hearing their stories. And no matter what the story they usually offer an understanding of where someone else is coming from. And in some way, remind you of a story about yourself’.
Harry continues: ‘And that is what this story is all about. To bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven’t heard before. And find our common ground. Because when that happens change really is possible’.
The Duchess of Sussex says that the podcasts will be about ‘finding kindness and compassion, something we saw in some many places this year’.
She adds: ‘It will underlie everything you here on Archewell Audio – so that’s what we’re up to’.
Their first show will be a ‘holiday special’ this month will ‘feature stories of hope and compassion from inspirational guests in celebration of the new year.’
Harry and Meghan both mimic church bells before saying: ‘We can’t wait to share it with you and will be out later this month’.
Meghan says: ‘We’re talking to some amazing people who will share their memories that have helped shaped this year. As we know this has been a difficult one for everyone’.
Touching on the pandemic Harry says: ‘So many people have suffered so much pain this year, experiencing loss and a huge amount of uncertainty but it feels worth mentioning that 2020 has connected us in ways we could never have imagined. Through endless acts of compassion and kindness’.
Plugging the podcast Harry says: ‘So here’s what you need to do, tap follow right now. Go ahead, go on. Tap, follow and that way you won’t miss out and you’ll be able to hear new shows on Archewell Audio as soon as they drop’.
Finishing the trailer Meghan says: ‘We’re so excited. So follow and listen for free only on Spotify. We’ll meet you back here soon’.
Harry signs off with an American-sounding ‘happy holidays’ while Meghan ends with a British ‘cheers’.
The couple said in a statement today: ‘What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction.
‘With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.’
The Sussexes stopped royal duties in January this year, and have been criticised for using their newly independent status to sign multi-million pound deals while retaining their official titles.
The Sussexes’ agreed a £100million partnership with Netflix.
This was followed by the revelation earlier this week that Meghan had invested in a new range of oat milk vegan ‘superlattes’, which sell for £21 ($28) per pack.
Harry, 36, and former Suits actress Meghan, 39, are also set to earn as much as £770,000 ($1m) for delivering online talks – on condition of an upfront fee and the ability to pick any moderators.
The Duke spoke at a J P Morgan event in Miami earlier this year where he received a reported six-figure sum.
Royal biography Angela Levin has branded Harry ‘disloyal’ for taking money from Netflix when it was ‘ridiculing’ his family in popular series The Crown.
Today, the author Penny Junor warned that the couple would find it ‘very difficult’ to combine being a member of the royal family with pursuing commercial activity, because ‘there are bear traps everywhere’.
‘Inevitably, because of who they are, there will always be a market for them,’ she said. ‘It’s not even because they’re Harry and Megan, it’s because they are HRHs.
‘That adds a huge number of noughts to the end of any deal that they do. That’s not their fault. It just highlights how difficult it is to square up being a member of the royal family but earning a living outside it.’
Finishing the trailer Meghan says: ‘We’re so excited. So follow and listen for free only on Spotify. We’ll meet you back here soon’
Harry and Meghan no longer use their HRH styles, but they are still members of the royal family despite stepping back from official duties and retain the titles.
Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer, said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may live in California but the power of their voices rests in their status as citizens of the world.
‘That they are embracing the extraordinary capacity of podcasts on Spotify while also seeking to elevate underrepresented voices is a testament to their appreciation for the potential of audio storytelling.’
Spotify: The Swedish streaming service that took the music world by storm in just 14 years
Founded just 14 years ago in Sweden, Spotify has taken the music world by storm. Today the music streaming service, which boasts a library of 60million songs, has a staggering 320million monthly active users and is worth an estimated $23billion.
The meteoric rise began in Stockholm, Sweden in 2006. The company was co-founded by Daniel Ek, the former boss of popular fashion-based browser game Stardoll, and Martin Lorentzon, co-founder of digital marketing firm Tradedoubler.
By 2009, the company had reached the UK, with a free registration service for users to stream music – setting it aside from digital music rival iTunes, from which users bought digital copies of songs to build their own library.
Its popularity surged after the release of its mobile service, which allowed users a freemium service – where they could listen for free with adverts – or a paid subscription service.
The meteoric rise began in Stockholm, Sweden in 2006, when the company was co-founded by Daniel Ek, the former boss of popular fashion-based browser game Stardoll, and Martin Lorentzon, co-founder of digital marketing firm Tradedoubler
By March 2011, five years after it was founded, Spotify had one million paying subscribers across Europe. Within six months, that number had doubled.
In the same year, Spotify launched in the US, again to great success. By 2012, the streaming service had 15million active users, four million being paying Spotify subscribers.
And subscription figures continued to grow and grow and grow, more than doubling by 2014. By 2016 it had 40million paying subscribers and 100million total users and as of October 2020, the platform has 320million monthly users, including 144 million paying subscribers.
But despite its meteoric growth, the company, which has an annual revenue of £6billion, has historically struggled to produce profits.
It has also faced criticism from those in the music industry, including Taylor Swift, who have argued that the service does not compensate musicians fairly. The company distributes approximately 70 per cent of its total revenue to rights holders, mostly record labels, who then pay artists based on individual agreements.
In a bid to drive its profits into the green, the owners of Spotify, Spotify AB, was floated on the New York Stock Exchange as a publicly traded company in 2018.
The move came after the company made losses of nearly £870m over the previous three years.
Despite being floated publicly, Spotify did not issue new stock when being floated in 2018, instead selling shares that were held by its private investors. The aim of the scheme was to raise investment for its expansion plans.
Last year the $23billion company posted an operating profit of $60million – only the third time in its history it had posted a profit.
Despite past losses, the company has continued to make big money deals, and has lately pushed into increasingly in the area of podcasts.
It is not known how much the Spotify contract is worth, but the streaming service agreed a £75m ($100m) deal with US comedian Joe Rogan in May.
Earlier this year, Michelle Obama launched The Michelle Obama Podcast for an undisclosed fee and had her husband on as one of her first guests.