Overview
- Spotify said the government-made ads meet its U.S. advertising policy and added that listeners can use thumbs up or down to shape ad preferences.
- The recruitment spots include lines claiming officers in sanctuary cities are told to stand down while 'dangerous illegals' walk free.
- Artists including Thursday and the Epitaph/ANTI- labels urged Spotify to pull the ads, and NME reports Daniel Ek plans to step down as CEO on Jan. 1, 2026.
- Listeners posted complaints on social media, with some saying they canceled their subscriptions in response to the ads.
- Reports say the ads recently appeared for free or lower-tier users, with some versions touting a $50,000 signing bonus, and other streaming platforms were also reported to carry similar ICE spots.