Jemele Hill, Spotify End Podcast Deal (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s the end of the podcast road for Jemele Hill and Spotify, as they have agreed to end their partnership.
Hill, an award-winning journalist, author and cultural commentator, launched her podcast “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” on Spotify in April 2019.
Subsequently, she expanded her deal with Spotify for the Unbothered Network with podcasts created and hosted by Black women, “Sanctified” and “The Black Girl Bravado.” “Spotify and Jemele Hill have mutually agreed to part ways,” the company and Hill said in a joint statement provided to Variety. “From the debut of the award-winning podcast ‘Jemele Hill Is Unbothered’ to the launch of the Unbothered Network, we are incredibly proud of our partnership and the work we produced together over the past four-plus years.” Spotify added, “We wish Jemele all the best and look forward to seeing and hearing her future creative endeavors.” Hill owns the intellectual-property rights for “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” and “Sanctified,” so it’s her decision whether those shows remain on Spotify.
However, “Black Girl Bravado” will remain available on Spotify as that is a licensed series. The end of Hill’s pact with Spotify comes after the audio streamer’s deal with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, ended this summer — with the couple having delivered just one show under the agreement.
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