Spotify Threatens Turkey Exit Amid Government Dispute: Report

Looks like the Spotify situation is souring in Turkey – so much so that the streaming platform is reportedly considering exiting the nation of 85 million.

That’s according to a new round of regional coverage, which follows last week’s reports of the overarching dispute. Not Spotify’s first public dust-up with the Turkish government – 2020 and then 2021 delivered separate disagreements – the current episode involves an investigation into the DSP’s alleged “anticompetitive practices.”

Besides this investigation, Turkish government officials have called out Spotify’s alleged refusal “to take the necessary steps” to address complaints about on-platform content.

That refers in part to content “that disregards our religious sensitivities” or “targets the esteemed wife of” President Erdoğan, per Google’s translation of a message from deputy minister of culture and tourism Batuhan Mumcu.

Providing a bit more insight, The Times elaborated that the qualms extend to multiple playlists referencing the president’s wife. Per the same source, some of those playlists’ titles are irreverent (“Emine Ergodan hotgirl playlist”), with others apparently involving insinuations of lavish spending on the first lady’s part.

An obvious-but-worthwhile point: Spotify could probably calm the waters (and possibly end the wider confrontation) by booting the playlists from its platform.

At least for now, however, they remain live – with execs reportedly leaving a full-scale Turkey exit on the table should the situation devolve. Spotify’s purported desire to preserve users’ freedom of expression is being presented by anonymous sources as the motivation behind the stance.

But as is so often the case, that top-level explanation doesn’t tell the whole story. On the DSP’s end, moderating actual uploaded content, including occasional adult videos and drug-peddling podcasts, is evidently a big enough challenge on its own. Expanding the focus to podcast titles and more, with possibly hundreds of governments weighing in, wouldn’t exactly help the situation.

On the opposite end of the showdown, the Turkish government isn’t just calling out the playlists, but is also airing grievances concerning Spotify’s alleged failure to support the local music scene. That includes the company’s alleged lack of a physical office in the country.

Following each point to its logical conclusion, there appears, like with the aforementioned 2020 disagreement, to be room for a compromise here. Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean a near-term resolution will keep Spotify live in Turkey.

To be sure, Individual costs less than $1.50 per month in Turkey at the present exchange rate; in general, the company has only threatened to withdraw from markets that it can safely afford to lose.

That includes Uruguay, where Spotify in 2023 said it would close up shop due to a new copyright law. Ultimately, though, a last-minute adjustment to the relevant measure prevented the exit.