Spotify Under Fire For Hosting Fake Podcasts That Sell Addictive Drugs
Spotify has been accused of hosting numerous fake podcasts promoting the sale of addictive drugs such as Xanax, Oxycodone, and Tramadol. Podcasts with titles like "My Adderall Store" or "Xtrapharma.com", having episodes titled "Order Codeine Online Safe Pharmacy Louisiana" or "Order Xanax 2 mg Online Big Deal On Christmas Season" with links to third-party websites were being used to sell the drugs, according to a report in CNN.
Spotify's auto-detection system did not flag these fake podcasts for removal, with listeners having unrestricted access to them. With millions of teenagers using Spotify every day, the revelation could create legal troubles for the Swedish music platform.
Previously, a Business Insider report claimed that Spotify had removed 200 podcasts advertising the sale of opioids and other drugs, but social media users were quick to point out that drugs were still being sold.
"It's amazing how much illegal drug distribution goes through Spotify. Opioids, benzos, amphetamines, you name it," wrote Lauren Balik, who runs a blog about tech company stocks, on X (formerly Twitter)
"CEO Daniel Ek @eldsjal : this is unacceptable and 100% solvable if your "ML" and "AI" capabilities actually exist, or are you just asleep at the wheel?" she added.
It's amazing how much illegal drug distribution goes through Spotify $SPOT. Opioids, benzos, amphetamines, you name it.
CEO Daniel Ek @eldsjal: this is unacceptable and 100% solvable if your "ML" and "AI" capabilities actually exist, or are you just asleep at the wheel?
These… pic.twitter.com/vda76R0TSD
— Lauren Balik (@laurenbalik) May 13, 2025
Reacting to the news, Spotify released a statement saying it was working to remove the harmful content from its podcast shelf.
"We are constantly working to detect and remove violating content across our service," a Spotify spokesperson said.
Spotify's ghost artists
This is not the first instance when Spotify has been criticised for its actions. The music platform has been previously accused of promoting ghost artists to avoid paying royalties to real artists. As per reports, Spotify has a secretive internal programme that prioritises cheap and generic music.
The programme called Perfect Fit Content (PFC) involves a network of affiliated production firms and a team of employees secretly creating "low-budget stock muzak" and placing them on Spotify's curated playlists. First piloted in 2010, PFC became Spotify's biggest profitability scheme by 2017.
In February, a report in The Guardian highlighted that Spotify's Discovery Mode allowed artists to be noticed by listeners in exchange for a 30 per cent royalty reduction.
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