Latest news with #BatuhanMumcu
Euronews
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Turkey investigates Spotify over 'insensitive' playlist names
Another day, another investigation in Turkey — this time targeting Spotify, which is under scrutiny for allegedly "insulting societal beliefs" and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour. The controversy began with what appeared to be a highly coordinated backlash on social media, and has since escalated. On Friday, Spotify told The Times that it is considering temporarily suspending its services in Turkey or even pulling out of the market entirely. The Swedish music streaming giant stated that it was "not prepared for its users to be censored" but added that it was "working to co-operate with Turkish authorities." Company representatives told The Times that all options were being evaluated, including "pausing operations in the market or exiting Turkey altogether." Spotify is well known for its user-generated playlists, many of which feature satirical or humorous titles, ranging from celebrity references and fictional characters to political jabs. However, some playlist titles have sparked political controversy in Turkey. Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Batuhan Mumcu accused the platform of "hosting content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society." He claimed the platform included "insidious and provocative" playlists directed at First Lady Emine Erdoğan. "The platform's failure to act is incompatible with our nation's cultural and moral values," Mumcu said, arguing that such content undermines social unity. The playlist titles that caused a stir One playlist in particular — titled "Songs Emine Erdoğan listens to while cleaning the palace" — triggered outrage among pro-government social media users, often referred to as 'AK trolls' (a reference to President Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development AK Party). The campaign to ban Spotify gained traction among conservative voters, with users tagging government officials on X and demanding action. Screenshots of the controversial playlist titles quickly went viral. Religious-themed playlists also provoked anger. Two lists — titled "The playlist Prophet Muhammad listened to while escaping the Mushrikites" and "Songs the Prophet listened to in the cave" — also drew heavy criticism in conservative circles. Spotify currently has more than 12 million monthly active users in Turkey.
eNCA
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Turkey opens Spotify probe after 'provocative playlist' complaint
ANKARA - Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices as a deputy minister demanded legal action over "provocative" playlists allegedly offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful of Islam. In a statement, the competition authority said it had opened an investigation into "various allegations that the strategies and policies implemented by Spotify... in Turkey has caused anti-competitive effects in the music industry". It said the probe would seek to establish whether Spotify gave more visibility to some artists and engaged in unfair practices in the distribution of royalties, thereby violating the competition law. The investigation was announced the same day as deputy culture minister Batuhan Mumcu called for legal action against Spotify in a post on X, citing its "refusal" to respond to requests to remove playlists with names deemed offensive. "Spotify persistently refuses to take the necessary steps despite all our previous warnings," he wrote. "Content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society has not been corrected," he added, saying Turkey had been "closely monitoring content on Spotify for a long time". He pointed to content published "under the guise of 'playlists'.. that disregards our religious sensitivities toward our Prophet Mohammed, deliberately and unacceptably targeting the beliefs, sacred values, and spiritual world of our people". He also singled out playlists allegedly targeting Emine Erdogan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which were "insidiously provocative and morally unacceptable". "This irresponsibility and lack of oversight, which disregards the sensitivities of our society, has now become a legal matter.. I call on our competent institutions to take action," he wrote. Attached to his post was an animated graphic showing a string of playlists with names referencing either Erdogan's wife or the life of the Prophet Mohammed. In a statement, Spotify, which launched in Turkey in 2013, said its operations complied with "all applicable laws" but it would cooperate with the investigation although it lacked "details on the inspection's scope or focus". "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," the statement said, without making any mention of the playlist allegations. It said in 2024, it had paid "over 2 billion Turkish lira ($25 million) to the local music industry" with its service playing a "pivotal (role) in growing Turkish artists' royalties globally".
RNZ News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Turkey opens Spotify probe after complaint about 'morally unacceptable' playlists
Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices as a deputy minister demanded legal action over "provocative" playlists allegedly offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful of Islam. In a statement released on Friday, the competition authority said it had opened an investigation into "various allegations that the strategies and policies implemented by Spotify... in Turkey has caused anti-competitive effects in the music industry". It said the probe would seek to establish whether Spotify gave more visibility to some artists and engaged in unfair practices in the distribution of royalties, thereby violating the competition law. The investigation was announced the same day as deputy culture minister Batuhan Mumcu called for legal action against Spotify in a post on X, citing its "refusal" to respond to requests to remove playlists with names deemed offensive. "Spotify persistently refuses to take the necessary steps despite all our previous warnings," he wrote. "Content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society has not been corrected," he added, saying Turkey had been "closely monitoring content on Spotify for a long time". He pointed to content published "under the guise of 'playlists'.. that disregards our religious sensitivities toward our Prophet Mohammed, deliberately and unacceptably targeting the beliefs, sacred values, and spiritual world of our people". He also singled out playlists allegedly targeting Emine Erdogan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which were "insidiously provocative and morally unacceptable". "This irresponsibility and lack of oversight, which disregards the sensitivities of our society, has now become a legal matter.. I call on our competent institutions to take action," he wrote. Attached to his post was an animated graphic showing a string of playlists with names referencing either Erdogan's wife or the life of the Prophet Mohammed. In a statement, Spotify, which launched in Turkey in 2013, said its operations complied with "all applicable laws" but it would cooperate with the investigation although it lacked "details on the inspection's scope or focus". "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," the statement said, without making any mention of the playlist allegations. It said in 2024, it had paid "over 2 billion Turkish lira (NZ$41 million) to the local music industry" with its service playing a "pivotal [role] in growing Turkish artists' royalties globally". - AFP
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Turkey threatens Spotify with legal action after it hosts user-made playlists claiming the president's wife has a golden toilet
Turkey's Deputy Culture Minister has threatened music streaming platform Spotify with legal action over playlists allegedly mocking the President's wife. Dr Batuhan Mumcu, 42, called for legal action against Spotify in a post on X on Friday, stating that the platform 'persistently refuses' to take 'necessary steps' to remove 'offensive' content. He tweeted that 'content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society' has been allowed 'under the guise of "playlists"'. In a video attached to his post, he highlights the 'playlists' in question, including one which translates to 'Songs Emine Erdoğan listened to when her golden faucet broke' and another titled 'Emine Erdoğan's hot girl playlist'. Mr Mumcu described them as 'insidiously provocative and morally unacceptable'. Ms Erdoğan is the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and it has long been claimed that the couple have gold-plated toilets in their presidential palace. Located in the Beştepe neighborhood of Ankara, the complex has 1,000 rooms and is bigger than the White House. It has been criticised for its £400million building costs. Mr Erdoğan previously invited leader of the main opposition party Kemal Kilicdaroglu to inspect the building, saying he would resign if a golden toilet was found. As well as content that 'targets the esteemed wife of our President', Mr Mumcu pointed to playlists that disregard 'our religious sensitivities toward our Prophet Mohammed, deliberately and unacceptably targeting the beliefs, sacred values, and spiritual world of our people'. 'Spotify persistently refuses to take the necessary steps despite all our previous warnings,' he wrote. He added that Turkey had been 'closely monitoring content on Spotify for a long time'. The Deputy Culture Minister urged 'competent institutions' in Turkey to 'take action' as he argued Spotify's 'irresponsibility and lack of oversight' had now 'become a legal matter'. Mr Mumcu's post has since gone viral and has been viewed more than 2.4million times on X, formerly Twitter. As expected, some Turkish residents could not help but comment. 'Sometimes the state doesn't like the name of your playlist,' one said. 'Imagine you have a title like Deputy Minister, and you're out hunting for playlists on Spotify,' a second tweeted. 'They've completely lost the plot.' A third seemed to tease the politician by posting a playlist titled: 'Songs listened to by the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Turkey while opening an investigation'. Another playlist translates to: 'What the Prophet Muhammad listened to while running away from the polytheists' Songs included in the satirical playlist included Not Allowed by TV Girl and I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski. Later the same day, Turkey's competition authority launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices. In a statement released on Friday, the competition authority said it had opened an investigation into 'various allegations that the strategies and policies implemented by Spotify... in Turkey has caused anti-competitive effects in the music industry'. It said the probe would seek to establish whether Spotify gave more visibility to some artists and engaged in unfair practices in the distribution of royalties, thereby violating the competition law. In a statement, Spotify, which launched in Turkey in 2013, said its operations complied with 'all applicable laws' but it would cooperate with the investigation although it lacked 'details on the inspection's scope or focus'. '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,' the statement said, without making any mention of the playlist allegations. It said in 2024, it had paid 'over 2 billion Turkish lira ($25 million) to the local music industry' with its service playing a 'pivotal (role) in growing Turkish artists' royalties globally'.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Turkey opens Spotify probe after 'provocative playlist' complaint
Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices as a deputy minister demanded legal action over "provocative" playlists allegedly offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful of Islam. In a statement released on Friday, the competition authority said it had opened an investigation into "various allegations that the strategies and policies implemented by Spotify... in Turkey has caused anti-competitive effects in the music industry". It said the probe would seek to establish whether Spotify gave more visibility to some artists and engaged in unfair practices in the distribution of royalties, thereby violating the competition law. The investigation was announced the same day as deputy culture minister Batuhan Mumcu called for legal action against Spotify in a post on X, citing its "refusal" to respond to requests to remove playlists with names deemed offensive. "Spotify persistently refuses to take the necessary steps despite all our previous warnings," he wrote. "Content that targets our religious and national values and insults the beliefs of our society has not been corrected," he added, saying Turkey had been "closely monitoring content on Spotify for a long time". - 'Targeting... sacred values' - He pointed to content published "under the guise of 'playlists'.. that disregards our religious sensitivities toward our Prophet Mohammed, deliberately and unacceptably targeting the beliefs, sacred values, and spiritual world of our people". He also singled out playlists allegedly targeting Emine Erdogan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which were "insidiously provocative and morally unacceptable". "This irresponsibility and lack of oversight, which disregards the sensitivities of our society, has now become a legal matter.. I call on our competent institutions to take action," he wrote. Attached to his post was an animated graphic showing a string of playlists with names referencing either Erdogan's wife or the life of the Prophet Mohammed. In a statement, Spotify, which launched in Turkey in 2013, said its operations complied with "all applicable laws" but it would cooperate with the investigation although it lacked "details on the inspection's scope or focus". "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," the statement said, without making any mention of the playlist allegations. It said in 2024, it had paid "over 2 billion Turkish lira ($25 million) to the local music industry" with its service playing a "pivotal (role) in growing Turkish artists' royalties globally". bur-hmw/jj
