Spotify Considers Turkey Exit Amid Government Probe

Following last week’s news that the Turkish government is [investigating](https://newindustryfocus.com/articles/turkey-probes-spotify-for-anti-competitive-behavior) Spotify for anticompetitive behavior and “provocative” playlists, regional coverage of the dispute suggests the streaming giant is considering exiting the country.

Some context:

• The Turkish government has taken exception to Spotify playlists that disregard the country’s religious sensitivities, while alleging some also target Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

• Deputy Culture Minister Batuhan Mumcu took to social media calling for legal action, stating Spotify had ignored previous warnings about such content.

• The Turkish competition authority is also investigating anticompetitive practices by the streaming giant, focusing on its lack of support for the local music industry.

The response:

• As per Digital Music News (DMN), the offending playlists are still live to “preserve users’ freedom of expression.”

• DMN also presents the case that the task of moderating uploaded content is already huge. Widening the focus to podcast and playlist titles “with possibly hundreds of governments weighing in, wouldn’t exactly help the situation.”

• In response to the competition authority’s probe, Spotify claimed it paid over two billion Turkish Lira ($25 million) to the local music industry in 2024, while growing Turkish artists’ royalties globally.

• Spotify threatened to leave Uruguay in 2023 over an amendment to its copyright law, but backed down when the section was adjusted.