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The implosion ofThe Joe Budden Podcasthappened gradually and then all at once.
(The latter being a theme commonly explored on the show, by the way.)
Now, one could make a compelling case that hes done the same to Farrell and Clay.
Cut to the present, and both parties have long gone their separate ways.
Budden continues to hostThe Joe Budden Podcast, though the show is no longer available on Spotify.
I take it thats not an issue?
Jamil Mal Clay:Yeah no, its not an issue for us.
Rory Farrell:Thats not a route he would want to go.
I can assure you that.
Lets start here: Whats the backstory behind this deal with Stitcher?
Rory:I mean, Stitcher made the most sense out of the whole group.
We just didnt feel the same connection with those other people.
What were your priorities in those conversations?
Rory:We definitely wanted to add some new elements into podcasting.
Its become, like, the new mixtape or the new merch line.
Its just this shit that everybody kept doing.
So that was a big thing in these conversations.
Our fan base has really gravitated toward the sketch stuff and the other things weve been adding.
Did you ever consider staying independent?
But there are ways for corporations and creatives to work together.
Luckily, Stitcher is on the same page as us on that.
It makes sense to have a machine behind you and still be able to own all of your stuff.
Mal:Were not against being independent.
Sure, we signed a deal, but again, it just made sense.
They understand what were trying to do and what we represent and how important it is for us.
We werent just going to do a deal just to do a deal.
Weve publicly turned down more money than most podcasters have ever dreamed to see.
So were not doing something unless its a deal thats fair.
Just to confirm, both of you continue to own the show?
Mal:Oh, absolutely.
Rory:We have 100 percent ownership of our show.
Was a deal with Spotify ever on the table?
Rory:I mean, we spoke with Spotify.
It wasnt a bad conversation by any means.
It just didnt make sense for us at the time.
Could you talk more about that?
Looking back, that was the beginning of the end.
Despite the fact that this is our show, you know what I mean?
And then there were also a lot of business meetings that were happening that we didnt know about.
It was never, Yes, lets do it, lets try.
With just Rory and myself, it can happen so freely now.
Thats what Im excited for.
Lets project forward a bit.
What do you think the show will be 12 months from now?
Rory:Its hard to say.
Were so excited to try new things, even if that means failing at them.
We dont want to just sit down and grill people and throw a bunch of questions at them.
Im not Barbara Walters.
We want people to feel like theyre having a conversation and there are no cameras, no microphones.
Just come in and kick it.
Lets just have fun.
Lets talk about real things.
Lets talk about issues.
Lets talk about that.
Lets talk about how you worked through that and how you use that to create.
Ive had those same struggles.
I have those same thoughts.
I have those same apprehensions on certain things that I want to do when they hear that.
I want to ask you a bit about how you feel now, coming out of a messy situation.
Mal:Speaking for myself, Im totally moved on in regard to that.
I dont even think about it.
Where Rory and I stand now, looking back, it was the best thing that happened.
I dont have any reservations or any hard feelings toward anybody.
I did, at first.
I was in a very, very different mindset a few months ago.
And you know, character is character, right?
Like maybe its just not your turn yet.
Maybe that person hasnt been that way with you yet, but your time is coming.
But again, character is character.
This wasnt something that just happened overnight.
This was something that was building up for years.
It was just bad business on someones behalf.
It was a shady business.
After a while, enough is enough.
It got to a point where we werent even happy with going into the studio and creating.
We werent uncomfortable because the energy was just … we knew that it wasnt right.
It got to a point where it felt like, Are we being phony?
Are we being fake?
Because this isnt right.
Its a lot of business thats being done thats wrong.
Rory:I do think it was a blessing.
I, um, kinda wish it didnt have to play out publicly.
I thought that was a little corny.
I thought we were all better than that, but you know, it is what it is.
It made for good entertainment, I guess.
Have either of you spoken to Budden since the summer?
Rory:Ive run into him, but it wasnt really a conversation.
Mal:I havent seen or spoken to him since my last day at the studio.
