Budden’s twice-weekly show has hit the top spot on Spotify’s podcast charts, as Variety noted. It currently sits at number 15, so it clearly has a strong audience. Still, Budden claimed “Spotify never cared about this podcast individually” and that it had been “undermined and undervalued.” 

He referenced other podcast deals Spotify has made and suggested it was “actively pitting [these signings] against us.” Spotify bought The Ringer earlier this year, and The Joe Rogan Experience is moving to the platform exclusively starting next month.

Budden said he didn’t “wanna come off as angry, upset or bitter because the reality of it is we both hit our goals.” However, he suggested the crux of the matter was “wage disparity.”

“It was our desire to keep Joe Budden on Spotify,” the company told Variety. “As Joe referenced on his show, we made him a considerable offer — one that was significantly larger and many times the value of the existing agreement and reflective of 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.”