Budden’s bi-weekly show has topped Spotify’s podcast charts, as well Variation remarked. It currently sits at number 15, so it clearly has a strong audience. However, Budden claimed that “Spotify has never individually worried about this podcast” and that it was “undermined and underestimated.”
He refers to other podcast deals that Spotify has made and suggested that it “actively pit [these signings] against us. Spotify bought The Ringer earlier this year, and De Joe Rogan Underfining moves to the platform exclusively beginning next month.
Budden said he does not “want to get angry, overwhelmed or bitter because the reality is that we have both reached our goals.” However, he suggested that the core of the matter was “loan dispute”.
“It was our wish to keep Joe Budden on Spotify,” the company said Variation. “When Joe referred to his show, we made him a substantial offer – one that was significantly larger and many times the value of the existing deal and reflecting 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. ”
