Spotify Required to Apply for Turkish Broadcasting License

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that audio streaming service, Spotify, was one of four companies required to apply for a license to broadcast on the internet in Turkey.

A new social media law took effect in the country on Oct. 1, 2020, which requires companies with more than a million daily users to either open an office in the country or appoint a Turkish representative. In addition, platforms must remove or block content within 48 hours of a complaint. Non-compliance could result in fines, advertising bans and a reduction in bandwidth.

CPJ pointed out that while in the U.S., private individuals are asking Spotify to hold its content to higher standards, in Turkey, the government is the one putting pressure on platforms — and not always “in public interest.”

In 2018, the organization had written that the internet broadcast law would bring online news programming under the federal TV and radio regulator RTÜK, extending RTÜK’s censorship power to content on websites.

According to CPJ, RTÜK’s official Twitter account announced that Spotify had submitted its license application on Oct. 15.

The report also shares that Ceren Sözeri, associate professor of media studies at Galatasaray University in Istanbul, told CPJ that that Spotify was not primarily a journalism platform, and that the purpose of licensing could be connected to tax revenue or control of musical output. But, she said, the authorities’ intention may be “asking Spotify for things similar to those in the new social media law.” She noted that the government could block the platform if it failed to comply, said the article.