Joe Budden is apparently done with Spotify. On Wednesday (August 26), The Joe Budden Podcast host spent the bulk of his three-hour show dismantling his exclusive deal with the streaming giant, explaining why he wouldn’t be renewing his contract when it expires next month.
“September 23rd, I cannot tell you where this podcast will be,” Budden said. “But as it stands, I can tell you where it will not be, and that is Spotify. Spotify never cared about this podcast individually. Spotify only cared about our contribution to the platform.”
He added his podcast has been “undermined and undervalued” and cited a $250 million deal with Bill Simmons for The Ringer, which he said shows Spotify is “actively pitting [these signings] against us.”
Budden also accused the company of “pillaging’ his audience, saying, “You pillage the audience from the podcast, and you’ve continued to pillage each step of the way without any regard” for the listeners.
In a statement to Variety, a Spotify rep said the company attempted to renegotiate with Budden but failed.
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“It was our desire to keep Joe Budden on Spotify,” the rep said. “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. Unfortunately, we could not come to terms and we respect his wishes to find a new home for his show.”
Budden’s response? “Fuck y’all & that deal.”
Budden, once deemed “the Howard Stern of Hip Hop” by the New York Times, initially launched his podcast in 2015 and signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2018. The Joe Budden Podcast also features his friends Jamil “Mal” Clay and Rory Farrell.
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Although it was ranked at No. 1 on Spotify’s podcast chart last year, it currently sits at No. 15. Budden has roughly seven episodes left before his contract is up. Listen to the August 26 episode in full above.
