Statement from Spotify regarding Competition Board investigation

The Competition Board had announced in the morning hours that it had launched an investigation into Spotify, one of the leading platforms in the digital music sector. The Board had stated that it would investigate whether the strategies Spotify was following in Turkey were negatively affecting competition in the sector. The statement emphasized that topics such as making competitors' activities more difficult, allegations of discrimination against artists, and unfair distribution of royalties were being scrutinized. The first official statement on the subject came from Spotify.

Spotify stated that they were aware of the investigation launched by the Competition Board and that they were actively trying to understand the process. The statement from the platform included the following statements:

“We are aware of the investigation launched by the Turkish Competition Board. We are cooperating with the investigation, actively seeking to understand the process, and will work with the Competition Board to reach a swift and constructive resolution. Spotify conducts all of our activities in compliance with legal requirements, but as we do not have detailed information on the scope or focus of the investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage. Our commitment to Turkey is clear: in 2024 alone, we paid over 2 billion TL to the Turkish music industry, comprehensively included Turkish artists, who make up 90 percent of the Turkish Top 50, in our playlists, and played a key role in increasing Turkish artists’ global royalties. These global royalties currently account for more than half of the total earnings Turkish artists earn on our platform.” While it remains unclear what the outcome of this investigation into Spotify will be, the company’s cautious yet collaborative approach to the process is notable. The board is expected to share more information about the process in the coming weeks.