Obamas’ Higher Ground signs first-look deal with Amazon’s Audible After Ending Spotify Pact
Just months after leaving Spotify, the production firm run by former president Obama and the former first woman Michelle Obama signed a contract with Audible.
The announcement of a “global, multi-project, multi-year first-look” agreement between Audible and the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions.
The partnership, Audible said, “reinforces Higher Ground’s commitment to audio” and would include projects that “reflect the companies’ shared mission to tell meaningful and entertaining stories that elevate diverse voices and experiences.”
“At Higher Ground, we have always sought to lift up voices that deserve to be heard — and Audible is invested in realizing that vision alongside us,” the 44th president said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to partnering with them to tell stories that not only entertain but also inspire.”
The former first lady said there is “no one we’d rather write our next chapter with than Audible.”
The deal is just one part of Obamas’ continued involvement in the entertainment industry after leaving the White House in 2017.
Higher Ground also has an exclusive production deal with Netflix, which has garnered award-winning TV shows and films. For example, “American Factory”- a documentary about a Chinese company opening a factory in blue-collar Ohio – won the Academy Award for the best documentary feature in 2019.
As for its audio endeavors, Higher Ground has produced podcasts such as “Renegades: Born in the USA “
Although the streaming behemoth will not be extending its contract with Higher Ground, said a spokesman for Spotify, its programming was “anticipated to stay available on Spotify.” A number of exclusive programs, including “The Michelle Obama Podcast” and a collaboration between the former president and Bruce Springsteen, were developed as a result of the inaugural Spotify agreement, which was first revealed in 2019.
This news comes along with the update of a few musicians, including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and India Arie, who removed their music from the service in protest after Spotify came under fire for spreading false information about COVID-19 on its well-known podcast hosted by Joe Rogan earlier this year.