By Colin 
Spotify has crossed another line. The streaming giant now runs recruitment ads for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency infamous for detaining families and deporting children. These adverts call migrants “dangerous illegals” and invite listeners to “protect America.” For a company that claims to celebrate diversity and community, promoting that message is indefensible.
Spotify says the ads “don’t violate policy.” That defence is an insult. If your policy allows fear-fuelled propaganda, the fault lies with the policy. Spotify has chosen to profit from cruelty rather than protect the culture that built its fortune.
Listeners and artists once trusted Spotify as a space for discovery. Now it feels like a billboard for government propaganda. The company’s decision to hide behind technicalities instead of accountability shows where its loyalty truly lies.
A pattern of arrogance
This latest outrage fits a clear pattern. Spotify’s history already includes underpaying artists, experimenting with AI musicians, and funnelling investment into military technology. Each scandal exposes the same flaw: a business that mistakes compliance for conscience.
Running ICE recruitment ads confirms that this mindset has not changed. Spotify is no longer merely careless; it is complicit. By accepting money to broadcast divisive messaging, the platform helps normalise rhetoric that harms vulnerable people.
Artists who rely on streaming income now face a moral dilemma. Staying means helping a corporation that monetises hate; leaving means losing an audience. Spotify created that impossible choice through greed and indifference.
Musicians and listeners are responding the only way they can. Cancellations are spreading, playlists are vanishing, and users are moving to platforms that actually respect both art and humanity. Every lost subscription cuts into Spotify’s profit and exposes its hypocrisy.
The consequences are coming
Spotify’s leadership could have listened. It could have admitted error or promised reform. Instead, it defended the ads as “government-approved.” That posture might satisfy shareholders, but it alienates the very people who keep the service alive.
The company’s arrogance is breathtaking. Its CEO already invests in AI weapons technology while independent musicians struggle to afford rent. Now the same empire profits from anti-migrant propaganda. These choices aren’t accidental; they’re proof that Spotify’s leadership sees ethics as optional.
This isn’t a culture platform anymore. It’s an advertising machine wearing the skin of music streaming. Every new scandal chips away at what little trust remains. If Spotify believes users will keep paying while it amplifies hatred, it’s in for a shock.
Boycotts are gaining momentum. Labels are quietly pulling catalogues. Artists are speaking out. Fans are deleting the app. What started as a protest is turning into a movement. Music deserves better than a company that trades compassion for contracts.
Spotify has chosen its side, and it isn’t ours.
Cancel the subscription. Share alternatives. Spend your money where art still matters.