Spotify confirmed, via an interview with Rolling Stone, that it has officially stopped running recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This development follows months of intense public scrutiny and widespread boycotts from its users.
End of Ad Campaign
A spokesperson from the music streaming giant clarified that controversial advertisements were part of a time-bound recruitment campaign managed by the U.S. government, and that the specific audio-based ad spots concluded at the very end of December 2025.
Further details, as mentioned in the Rolling Stone report, revealed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security spent about 74000 U.S. dollars on the Spotify campaign. This was part of a larger 33-billion-dollar federal initiative aimed at hiring thousands of ICE officers.
The recruitment ads featured aggressive messaging regarding the protection of sanctuary cities from individuals labeled as dangerous. The spots promoted significant financial incentives. These include massive signing bonuses of up to 50000 U.S. dollars for new recruits.
Nevertheless, while Spotify underscores that the ad campaign simply ran its course, activists view this development as a considerable victory. They believe collective action and consumer pressure forced the company to reconsider the long-term cost of its ad partnership.
Widespread Backlash
The advertisements first drew national attention in October 2025 when free-tier listeners reported hearing recruitment pitches. These spots urged listeners to “fulfill your mission” by joining ICE. This sparked immediate and vocal outrage across various social media platforms.
Several high-profile musical acts, including Massive Attack and Thursday, publicly denounced the partnership. These artists argued that the platform was profiting from a hate-driven agenda and urged their fans to switch over to competitors like Apple Music.
Throughout late 2025, Spotify resisted initial calls to remove the ICE ads, citing its neutral advertising policies. They told frustrated users that the recruitment spots did not violate any terms and suggested using the “thumbs down” feature to manage preferences.
Note that the potential loss from premium cancellations is significantly higher than the revenue from the ICE ad recruitment campaign. A loss of 1.4 million U.S. dollars in annual revenue will result even if only 10000 premium users cancel their subscriptions.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Cetin, M. 21 October 2025. “Spotify Defends Running ICE Recruitment Ads About ‘Dangerous Illegals’ as Part of US Government Campaign.” DJ Mag. Available online
- Mier, T. 8 January 2026. “Spotify Stopped ICE Ads at the End of 2025.” Rolling Stone. Available online
- Mier, T. 11 November 2025. “ICE Ads Are Streaming Over Your Favorite Streaming Services.” Rolling Stone. Available online