Topline
Meghan Markle’s podcast Archetypes took down The Joe Rogan Experience as the top podcast on Spotify in the United States on Thursday, just two days after the Duchess of Sussex dropped the first episode of her highly-anticipated podcast.
Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast took the top spot on Spotify’s charts, just two days after she … [+]
Key Facts
Archetypes’ ascent ended Rogan’s reign at the top of the Spotify podcast charts, which he had held off and on for nearly three years—although his podcast has been topped before—even amid criticism over claims he was spreading misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines.
Archetypes, which Markle describes as an interview series to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” also premiered above The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, Girls Next Level and Huberman Lab, which took the third, fourth and fifth spots in Spotify’s charts—the streaming service does not list the number of plays each podcast received.
Markle released the first episode of her podcast on Tuesday, featuring an interview with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who recently announced she will retire from pro tennis.
In addition to the U.S., Markle’s podcast also topped Spotify’s podcast charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Key Background
In January, Rogan’s podcast came under fire from musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, who departed from Spotify after it refused to remove the podcast. Rogan’s show is estimated to average as many as 11 million listeners per episode, the Washington Post reported, making it one of Spotify’s most popular podcasts. Film director Ava DuVerney also cut ties with Spotify one year after reaching a podcasting deal with the platform, over concerns around keeping Rogan on the platform. Archewell posted a tweet in January asking Spotify to “help address this public health crisis,” while committing to its partnership with the platform. An episode of Rogan’s podcast resurfaced in February, where he mocked Markle as a “little American hussy.” One week later, Spotify pulled 113 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, after Rogan apologized in an Instagram post for using racial slurs on his podcast, and comparing a predominantly Black neighborhood to the movie Planet of the Apes.
Big Number
$18 million. That’s how much Markle and Prince Harry’s exclusive three-year podcast deal with Spotify is estimated to be worth. They signed the contract in December, 2020, just seven months after Spotify signed a multiyear deal with Rogan, reported to be more than $100 million, although unnamed sources told the New York Times it could be as high as $200 million.
Surprising Fact
Markle’s production company Archewell Audio, which she co-owns with her husband Prince Harry, released a statement in January criticizing Rogan, stating “our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of Covid-19 misinformation.”
Further Reading
Meghan Markle Debuts ‘Archetypes’ Podcast On Spotify; Serena Williams Is First Guest (Deadline)
Meghan Markle debuts new Spotify series as platform’s podcast push clouds profitability (Yahoo! Finance)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/08/25/meghan-markles-archetypes-podcast-unseats-joe-rogan-for-top-spot-on-spotify/