Joe Budden Is Taking His Spotify Exclusive Podcast Elsewhere
Written by SOURCE on August 27, 2020
Joe Budden told his audience in the most recent episode of his podcast that, with seven episodes left, the show “will not be” a Spotify exclusive after Sept. 23.
“What seven episodes left means is that September 23rd, this podcast—new episodes of this podcast—will no longer be available on Spotify exclusively,” Budden said. “September 23rd, I cannot tell you where this podcast will be. But as it stands, I can tell you where it will not be and that is Spotify.”
Budden elaborated on his disagreements with the platform, which has recently announced a number of deals with other hosts including Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama. According to Budden, Spotify declined to allow for him and his show’s team to take vacation days for Christmas and New Year’s Eve and attempted to offer Rolex watches instead of bonuses.
As for the latter, Budden explained, Spotify later said the watches they selected were too pricey. The company is also accused of declining to instead give money away to listeners for Christmas.
“That was the first time it dawned on me that Spotify is pillaging,” Budden said.
The Breakfast Club team later addressed the apparent Budden and Spotify split, with Charlamagne tha God saying Budden “knows his worth but doesn’t know how to properly negotiate it.”
Charlamagne, who joked that he himself is “just a man who’s in the final year of his contract,” also said Budden “can’t compare” his show to “a whole network” when it comes to contract negotiations.
On Thursday, Budden addressed this, asserting “Joe Budden is a network” and telling fans that he and Charlamagne will talk soon.
A rep for Spotify sent a statement to the Verge on Thursday stating the company respects Budden’s decision.
“As Joe referenced on his show, we made him a considerable offer—one that was significantly larger and many times the value of the existing agreement and reflective of the current market and size of his audience,” the rep said. “Unfortunately, we could not come to terms and we respect his wishes to find a new home for his show.”
