Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of creating drama of Sussex, have caused major uproar as a result of their multi million dollar deal with Spotify.
Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a deal with the streaming giant wroth £18 million (approximately $32 million Australian dollars) to produce and host podcasts ‘celebrating kindness and compassion’.
The backlash comes from many questioning why, in comparison, musicians and artists receive such paltry sums for their hard work that features on Spotify.
During an inquiry into Spotify over the impact of streaming services, Horacio Gutierrez, head of global affairs and chief legal officer for the brand, appeared before before MPs at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport conference.
Touching on the deal inked with the royals, Gutierrez confirmed that “They’re not doing it for free.”
A member of the panel questioned whether the couple were considered “box office”, to which Gutierrez replied: “Yes. In terms of the talent that goes into podcasts, yes.”
To vaguely clarify further, the chief legal officer justified the decision to hire the Duke and Duchess by suggesting that their appearance would encourage more revenue.
Love Pop?
Get the latest Pop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“Those high production shows that tend to be the tentpole that attract people into the service, and therefore benefit everyone.
“There is clear evidence that having podcast offerings on the service benefits music consumption, so on the whole there’s a virtuous cycle that occurs,”
But, it seems not all agree with this sentiment. Steve Brine, Tory MP for Winchester, told Mr Gutierrez that the pay deal “sticks in the craw of some of the artists who are driving Uber cars right now to pay the rent”.
Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien and Nadine shah are just a few of the artists who have given evidence on how little they are compensated for their work.
“When you see the disparity, it’s just absolutely ridiculous,” said Rogers.
“We don’t even know what a stream is worth and there’s no way you could even find out what a stream is worth, and that’s not a good relationship,” he added. “[Artists] do not get their fair share of the pie.”
Every little bit counts, so click below the stream Nile Rogers on Spotify.
