Türkiye’s competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify over alleged anti-competitive practices within the country’s music industry.
This probe coincides with a demand from a deputy minister for legal action against the streaming giant regarding “provocative” playlists deemed offensive to the president’s wife and disrespectful to Islam.
On Friday, the competition authority announced its investigation into “various allegations that the strategies and policies implemented by Spotify… in Türkiye have caused anti-competitive effects.”
The probe will examine whether Spotify grants certain artists undue visibility and engages in unfair royalty distribution, thereby potentially violating competition law.
Deputy Minister Demands Action Over “Offensive” Playlists
The investigation was announced the same day that Deputy Culture Minister Batuhan Mumcu called for legal action against Spotify on X.
Mumcu criticised Spotify for its “refusal” to remove playlists with “offensive” names, stating, “Spotify persistently refuses to take the necessary steps despite all our previous warnings.”
He further asserted that “content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society has not been corrected,” revealing that Türkiye has been “closely monitoring content on Spotify for a long time.”
Mumcu specifically highlighted content published “under the guise of ‘playlists'” that allegedly disrespects “religious sensitivities toward our Prophet Mohammed” and “insidiously provocative and morally unacceptable” playlists targeting Emine Erdogan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He urged “competent institutions to take action,” attaching a graphic showing examples of the alleged playlists.
Spotify, which began operations in Türkiye in 2013, stated its compliance with “all applicable laws” and pledged cooperation with the competition investigation, though it lacked “details on the inspection’s scope or focus.”
The company’s statement did not directly address the playlist allegations but emphasised its contribution of “over 2 billion Turkish lira ($25 million) to the local music industry” in 2024.
