Spotify users in the US might have recently noticed something different with the app lately, as one influencer from Missouri has confirmed that the music streaming platform now plays ICE recruitment and promotion ads. This new marketing has sparked outrage among Spotify’s user base, with many swearing to cancel their subscriptions in light of the music app’s perceived political leanings.
This change in Spotify’s ads was highlighted by social media influencer, The Woke Ginger, who also recently attended a No King’s Protest in Saint Louis, Missouri. The influencer has claimed that Spotify has now begun airing ICE recruitment ads and videos along with other promotions from the US Department of Homeland Security, allegedly claiming “Millions of illegals are rampaging the streets. Join ICE today.”
The influencer then went on to point out that Spotify has always fully supported the Trump administration in the past, even donating $150,000 to the Trump inauguration earlier this year. Apart from Trump, the music app has also held brunches and celebrations for conservative political commentators such as Ben Shapiro. Spotify, meanwhile, has actually confirmed that The Woke Ginger is indeed correct– it now airs and will continue airing ICE recruitment ads in response to the influencer:
Allegedly, Spotify’s senior leaders reached out to The Woke Ginger, where they clarified that “The advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running… the content does not violate our content policies. However, Spotify users can mark any ad with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to help manage their ads preferences.”
Many people have chosen the thumbs down, and then some
Even before Spotify revealed that there is a democratic option for the ICE recruitment ads they’re running, many users online have already been angered by the music app and have chosen to boycott. “I use Spotify every single day of my life. I just [expletive] canceled it thanks to this video…. My reason for leaving? ‘[expletive] ICE and [expletive] you 🙂’ 😂” according to a Reddit user.
Some have also questioned Spotify’s decisions, seeing as “They don’t have to play those ads. They choose to,” says a TikTok user on The Woke Ginger’s video. Those who have stopped supporting the music platform, however, were looking for alternatives, and thankfully, there were several recommendations mentioned, such as Deezer (which supposedly doesn’t make political donations), Tidal, Pandora, Qobuz, etc.
It also appears that several other brands and multimedia companies were name-dropped on another thread for running ICE recruitment ads or allegedly supporting the DHS, and this has led to a worrying trend, with many household names such as Disney and Facebook also being called out.
