We believe in everyone's right to share their voice. Additionally, we want our users and advertisers to feel confident and comfortable in the Spotify environment. As such, we’ve established monetization policies to guide creators on the rules they must follow to monetize their content. In addition to these policies, we don't permit content that violates our User Guidelines or Platform Rules. Video-enabled content monetized in the Spotify Partner Program must also comply with the Spotify Partner Program Policies. When we determine that a creator has violated our policies, we will take the appropriate action.

These rules are subject to change at any time and anything listed below is illustrative and may not be exhaustive.

Monetization Policies

We want advertisers to trust their advertisements will not show up against sensitive or prohibited content, so we created monetization policies outlining the types of content that may not be eligible for advertising support. These standards are informed by internal expertise and external guidance, and we regularly review and refresh them in accordance with changing needs and expectations within the ad industry. The examples in the below sections are for illustrative purposes only and may not be exhaustive.

If you've reviewed the Monetization Policies and you disagree with an action taken on your content or account, please submit an appeal and we'll review your request.

Prohibited Content

In addition to complying with the Spotify Platform Rules, creators who wish to monetize their content with Spotify must adhere to the following policies:

Illegal Content

We prohibit the monetization of content that violates applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to content that:

violates the intellectual property rights of third parties.
promotes, advocates or facilitates online piracy or counterfeiting.

Dangerous or Derogatory Content

We prohibit the monetization of content that:

promotes, incites, advocates, or contains the graphic depiction of violence, death, injury, or willful harm towards others.
promotes, incites, advocates, or contains graphic depiction of terrorist activity.
promotes or facilitates human rights violations (e.g. human trafficking, slavery, self-harm, etc.) or animal cruelty.
incites hatred, promotes violence, vilifies, or dehumanizes people based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, nationality, religion, caste, victims and survivors of violent acts and their family members, immigration status, or serious disease sufferers.
bullies or harasses named individuals or groups of people.
contains certain types of misinformation that may pose a risk of harm (e.g. dangerous false medical information, interfering with election-related processes, etc.)
promotes, incites, or advocates unlawful criminal activity.
contains incendiary content that provokes, entices, or evokes military aggression.

Regulated or Illegal Goods or Services

We prohibit the monetization of content that:

promotes, advocates, or facilitates the sales or use of illegal arms.
instructive content on how to obtain, make, sell or use arms in an unregulated environment.
depicts the use of illegal arms in unregulated environments.
promotes, advocates, or facilitates the sales of illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs.

promotes or advocates for tobacco, e-cigarette, or alcohol use by minors.

Deceptive Behaviors

We prohibit the monetization of content that:

promotes, advocates, or facilitates activities associated with spam.
promotes, advocates, or facilitates cybercrime (including malware and phishing).

Sensitive Content

We prohibit the monetization of content that:

includes graphic depictions of sexual acts, including through audio or visuals.
depicts genitals or gratuitous nudity, whether real or simulated.
contains excessive use of profane language, gestures, or other repulsive actions that shock, offend, or insult.
contains insensitive, irresponsible and harmful treatment of debated social issues.

Editorial Standards

In addition, creators who wish to monetize their content with Spotify must adhere to our editorial standards, which, without limitation, prohibit the monetization of content that:

In certain cases, we may choose to restrict monetization of content for reasons outside of the policies above including, but not limited to content that:

is in an unsupported language for our monetization channels.
targets an unsupported audience, for example, children as defined by applicable law.
is miscategorized based on the available category options and the primary nature of the content.
includes repeated (i.e., slideshow) static images with no original commentary or audio.
contains promotional content (such as ads, product placement, endorsements, or sponsorships) that violates our Advertising Policies.

Abuse of Monetization Services

If we reasonably suspect abuse of our services in any way, we reserve the right to remove access to monetization services, withhold accrued earnings, and/or remove the account or content. Abuse of monetization services includes but is not limited to:

Manipulating engagement with content, including but not limited to:
- Content with indications of non-human, artificial, or otherwise fraudulent engagement.
Misrepresentation, including but not limited to:
- Content with naming, design, formatting, or metadata that imitates other content in a way that may confuse users.
Using unauthorized financial instruments.
Content primarily stripped from other sources or creators without the addition of original content.
Providing false or inaccurate account or contact information.
Deceptive practices.