Spotify accused of using new streaming policy to reduce indie artist's royalties
Key takeaways
- An indie musician is accusing Spotify of engaging in “undisclosed, unfair, and deceptive business practices” that pay smaller artists less.
- Mark Kratter, a Connecticut-based musician, filed a complaint last week against the Swedish streamer.
- The lawsuit claims that in March, the company implemented a change to its streaming algorithm that directly affected Kratter’s streaming numbers.
A trading post sports the Spotify logo on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Richard Drew / Associated Press) By Cerys Davies Staff Writer Follow June 9, 2026 12:08 PM PT 3 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
An indie musician is accusing Spotify of engaging in “undisclosed, unfair, and deceptive business practices” that pay smaller artists less.
Mark Kratter, a Connecticut-based musician, filed a complaint last week against the Swedish streamer. He has accused Spotify of employing “opaque rules and undisclosed filtering criteria that disproportionately harm independent artists” and in turn benefit “major labels and high-volume catalogs.”