Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Spotify deal branded ‘kick in the teeth’ amid reform call

Meghan and Harry ‘creating long lasting legacy’ says expert

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Meghan Markle, 39, and Prince Harry, 36, have been criticised for their new podcast series with Spotify. One musician, in particular, has spoken about how their deal is like a “kick in the teeth”. This comes after stars like Paul McCartney, Chris Martin and Kate Bush have come together recently to criticise the way music streaming works.

Meghan and Harry were reported to have signed a multi-million pound deal with Spotify earlier this year.

The contract is thought to be worth £18million and will see them produce and host podcasts on the channel.

However, the move has been criticised due to how Spotify pays artists for music.

This is because the streaming platform can pay artists as little as £0.0038 per stream.

One critic of the deal is musician Harrison Rhys who spoke to the Daily Star about the issue.

He said: “I believe what Spotify have done is unethical.

“We are only being paid £0.0038 per stream but they are able to pay out what is probably a multi-million dollar fee to Harry and Meghan.

“In reality who wouldn’t want to accept that sort of money to have their podcast broadcast.

“And it is likely to be a positive thing for their listeners as The Sussexes definitely are doing a lot of good with their projects around the world.

“But this last year has been the most difficult one for musicians where many have had the majority of their income lost so I feel this is a kick in the teeth.”

This comes after a series of musicians penned an open letter to Boris Johnson calling for changing how streaming works.

The letter signed by 156 artists calls on the Prime Minister to change the economic model of streaming.

This read: “For too long, streaming platforms, record labels and other internet giants have exploited performers and creators without rewarding them fairly.

“We must put the value of music back where it belongs – in the hands of music makers.”

Other artists who signed the letter include Sting, Gary Barlow, Noel Gallagher and Annie Lennox.

Speaking about Meghan and Harry’s podcast deal back in February, head of global affairs for Spotify, Horacio Gutierrez, defended the decision.

He said to MPs during a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee meeting that the deal was different to their work with musicians.

Horacio said: “Like a lot of our services, there is a market for certain talent because they command a certain amount of consumption.

“We don’t get to negotiate directly with artists the way we negotiate with podcasters or people who create podcasts so the structure of that market is very different.

“The product is valued based on how many users it can attract, how many streams it will attract, which in turn determines how many advertisers are willing to advertise on the podcast which determines the economic opportunity, there’s a market that’s emerging for talent in that regard.”

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