Spotify Establishes Istanbul Office as Turkish Music Surpasses 294 Billion Streams

Spotify opens Istanbul office as Turkish music tops 294 billion all-time streams on the platform

June 22, 2026 By Rafaela Fornitani

Spotify has officially opened its new office in Istanbul .

The opening comes as Turkish music has passed 294 billion all-time streams on the platform, with growth of over 190% in the past five years, according to Spotify .

The company announced the opening on Thursday (June 18) , more than a decade after it began offering its service in Türkiye .

The launch was marked by a reception in Istanbul attended by Gökhan Yazgı , Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism.

Also present were Erkin Yılmaz , Director General of Royalties at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Murat Ellialtı , Head of the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation at the country’s broadcasting regulator, RTÜK , alongside Spotify’s leadership and partners from across the music industry.

The office will support closer work with local artists, labels, fans and policymakers, Spotify said, with a focus on artist education, local hiring and collaboration with the Turkish music industry.

The launch follows a period of friction between Spotify and the Turkish government in 2025.

In July last year, Türkiye’s competition authority opened an investigation into whether Spotify had engaged in practices that “complicate the operations of its rivals.”

Around the same time, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Batuhan Mumcu accused the platform of hosting playlists that insulted the country’s religious and national values.

The Times (UK) subsequently reported that Spotify was weighing its options in the market, including a possible withdrawal.

Following meetings between its executives and Turkish officials, Spotify agreed in August to remain in Türkiye and open an Istanbul office by 2026.

“A Spotify Turkey office, a key area of need, is opening,” Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy , said at the time.

In January , Spotify expanded the remit of regional Managing Director Akshat Harbola to include Türkiye and said the office would open by the end of June.

“We see Spotify ‘s decision to increase its presence and investments in Türkiye as a manifestation of its confidence in this land and our music,” said Yazgı .

“As a Ministry, we wholeheartedly support all investments in Türkiye ‘s music and culture economy, including the proliferation of local projects that will highlight our artists and special promotional efforts targeting them.”

“ Türkiye is one of the most culturally vibrant and commercially dynamic music markets in the world, and one where we see tremendous opportunity ahead,” said Akshat Harbola , Spotify’s Managing Director, MENAT+.

> “As a Ministry, we wholeheartedly support all investments in Türkiye ‘s music and culture economy, including the proliferation of local projects that will highlight our artists and special promotional efforts targeting them.” Gökhan Yazgı , Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism

“Our new Istanbul office reflects our long-term commitment to Türkiye : to its artists, its industry, and its music fans, and our belief in the role Spotify plays in connecting Turkish music to the world.”

Streams of Turkish music within Türkiye have risen more than 200% over the past five years, according to the company.

More than 90% of the tracks on the Spotify Top 50 Türkiye chart are by Turkish artists.

Spotify said export streams of Turkish music have grown 70 times over the past 11 years.

In April 2026 , around 92.5 million unique users outside Türkiye streamed at least one track by a Turkish-origin artist, the company added, placing Türkiye among the top 10 largest non-English-speaking markets on the platform.

As MBW previously reported , data from Spotify suggests that the share of its streams by local artists in Turkey rose from  11%  in 2013 to  65% in 2025.

Last week,  Midia Research   reported that the number of music streaming subscribers globally reached  921.6 million  at the end of  2025 , nearing the  1 billion  mark.

According to the company’s latest  Music Subscriber Market Shares report,  the global subscriber count grew  10.1%   YoY in 2025.

Spotify  remained the largest music subscription service worldwide, holding a  31.4%  share of global subscribers, according to  Midia . Music Business Worldwide

_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-opens-istanbul-office-as-turkish-music-tops-294-billion-all-time-streams-on-the-platform/)._