Spotify listeners of The Joe Budden Podcast can expect to begin listening to the infamous, blunt podcast elsewhere starting September, as the host has decided to end their partnership.
On August 26, Budden used his show to discuss with his fellow host about ending the partnership with Spotify, which expires next month. He shared that he believes the platform “undervalued” the show.
“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.”
The host expressed that the company is “pitting against” them since Spotify has made deals with Michelle Obama and Joe Rogan for each of their podcasts. He even claimed that the streaming platform didn’t allow The Joe Budden hosts to take off the holidays or receive a bonus. Instead, they offered watches, then claimed that the ones chosen by the hosts, were too expensive.
According to Variety, a statement from a Spotify rep said, “It was our desire to keep Joe Budden on Spotify. 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.”
Budden began his partnership with Spotify in 2018 and reached No. 1 on the charts in 2019. The show has also been available on YouTube and iTunes, but it’s unclear whether another partnership will arise after the last Spotify episode.