Spotify could pull its services from Turkey amid escalating tensions with government officials over platform content and alleged anticompetitive practices.
That’s according to The Times (UK), which reported on Friday (July 11), citing sources at the streaming platform, that the company is considering all options, including “pausing its operations in the market or exiting Turkey altogether”.
The report arrived just days after Turkey’s competition bureau launched a probe into whether the streaming giant engaged in anti-competitive practices.
Turkey’s competition authority announced the probe on July 4, saying it would examine whether Spotify had violated Turkish law “by engaging in practices that complicate the operations of its rivals in the online music streaming services market and/or affect the distribution of the royalties paid to various parties within the framework of its licensing relationships.”
It also said Spotify may be “discriminating between artists and content creators on the platform in various ways, including their visibility on the platform”.
Batuhan Mumcu, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, slammed the streaming platform on X the same day, accusing it of hosting “content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society.”
Mumcu specifically highlighted “insidious and provocative, immoral” playlist titles referencing Emine Erdoğan, the president’s wife, including “Emine Ergodan hotgirl playlist” and “Songs Emine Erdogan listened to when her golden faucet broke” — an apparent reference to claims about luxury fixtures in the presidential palace. Other controversial playlists include “Songs Prophet Muhammad listened to in the cave.”
Mumcu has also accused Spotify last month of not supporting local music, particularly Turkish folk and Arabesque genres. On X, he said: “Despite international digital platforms like Spotify having a significant user base in the Turkish market, they have neither established a local representation nor taken responsibility for supporting local music culture.
He added: “Aside from the failure to fulfill tax obligations, prioritizing sensation over quality in content algorithms—promoting content that encourages slang, violence, and the use of prohibited substances in playlists—is an unacceptable choice.
In response to the probe, a Spotify spokesperson told MBW last week: “We are cooperating with the investigation, are actively seeking to understand it, and will work toward a swift, constructive resolution with the Turkish Competition Authority. We comply with all applicable laws in all our operations, but we are unable to comment further as we lack details on the inspection’s scope or focus.”
Spotify launched in Turkey in 2013, and according to the company’s recent Loud & Clear report, the platform highlighted the rapidly increasing popularity of local artists.
The share of streams by local artists in Turkey rose from 11% in 2013 to 65% in 2025, while the number of Turkish artists in Spotify’s yearly top 100 grew from 11 in 2013 to 93 in 2024, Spotify said.
In 2021, Turkey’s media watchdog warned Spotify to “regulate its content” in line with Turkish laws or risk being removed from the market.
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