The announcement stated, "It will be examined whether Spotify makes it difficult for its competitors and music content rights holders to operate, and whether it discriminates among artists on the platform in various aspects such as visibility."
The statement from the Authority is as follows:
"An investigation has been initiated by the Competition Board regarding SPOTIFY to determine whether the strategies and policies it implements in Turkey violate Law No. 4054. During the investigation, it will be examined whether SPOTIFY makes it difficult for its competitors and music content rights holders to operate, and whether it discriminates among artists on the platform in various aspects such as visibility."
Spotify issued the following statement regarding the investigation:
"We are aware of the investigation initiated by the Turkish Competition Board. We are cooperating within the scope of the investigation, actively trying to understand the process, and will work to reach a swift and constructive solution with the Competition Board. As Spotify, we conduct all our operations in compliance with legal requirements; however, as we do not have detailed information regarding the scope or focus of the investigation, we cannot provide further comment at this stage.
Our commitment to Turkey is extremely clear: In 2024 alone, we made payments of over 2 billion TL to the Turkish music industry, we extensively included Turkish artists, who make up 90 percent of the Turkey Top 50 chart, in our playlists, and we played a key role in increasing the global royalty revenues of Turkish artists. These global royalties currently account for more than half of the total earnings Turkish artists generate on our platform."
News Source: 12punto
