Is Europe’s music being erased on streaming platforms like Spotify?
The Bulgarian organisation Music Equality has published a new bulletin arguing that a European Commission study on discoverability supports its criticism of streaming-platform bias against smaller European music markets. The 339-page final report, prepared for the European Commission by the Panteia consortium, was released on 8 April 2026 and examines how platforms, curation and recommender systems shape visibility in the music and book sectors.
The bulletin targets Spotify directly. (Editor’s note: After reviewing the report we conclude that it does not explicitly say that Spotify alone caused every measured outcome in the experiment.)
Spotify and other platforms sideline local and non-English music
The Commission report itself is broader in scope, but it does place Spotify at the center (though not alone) of the European streaming market. In its market overview, the study says Spotify holds a 56% share of Europe’s music streaming market. It also says playlists are central to discovery, with only 15% of surveyed users reporting that they do not use playlists, while a top playlist position can deliver about 14 million additional streams for a top-ranked track.
One of the report’s most relevant findings concerns recommendation systems. Using an official recommendation tool from a popular music streaming service, the study found that when input lists contained no local artists, the share of local songs in the recommendation output stayed consistently close to 0% across all countries analysed. When local songs were added to the input, the share of local songs in the output also rose, but not in the same proportion across member states. The report adds that in some smaller countries sharing languages with bigger markets, the output remained well below the input.
The same study says algorithmic systems often reinforce popularity loops and privilege mainstream, U.S. and English-language content. It cites research showing that recommendations from music streaming services can produce lower diversity than user-generated playlists, and it references ARCOM’s finding of a “pronounced linguistic bias towards English in curated playlists.” In the survey material discussed by the report, only 27% agreed that streaming services help them discover music in other languages, while 42% disagreed.
Metadata is another part of the issue. The report says incomplete or inconsistent metadata, including limited support for non-Latin scripts, undermines attribution and discoverability. It also cites estimates that metadata problems affect about 5–10% of music catalogue metadata, with a heavier impact on content in non-Latin languages.
The policy gap highlighted by Music Equality is also reflected in the report. The study says the Audiovisual Media Services Directive requires audiovisual platforms to carry 30% European content and give that content prominence, but adds that there is no equivalent framework for music or books. That finding underpins Music Equality’s demand for a binding European music discoverability framework, algorithmic auditing and stronger editorial coverage for underrepresented markets.
The Commission report also references South East Europe more directly than the bulletin suggests. In the section on curation and recommendations, it cites academic work on East-Central European visibility in Spotify’s geography and ANMIP-BG’s 2025 analysis of Spotify’s 1,000-stream policy on artist revenue in South East Europe.
About Music Equality
Music Equality in Bulgaria focuses on addressing the systemic, geographic, and financial marginalization of Bulgarian and South East European (SEE) artists within the European music industry. Key initiatives include combating underrepresentation on streaming platforms, advocating for fair compensation, and promoting diversity, notably through the European Forum on Music 2024 and SoAlive Music Conference.
Key issues and initiatives in Bulgaria:
- Geographical Marginalization: Research highlights that the SEE region is often omitted from European music narratives, with limited representation in major festivals and industry networks.
- Streaming & Revenue Gaps: Flat Line Collective reports that a lack of local curators and a 1,000-stream monetization threshold on platforms like Spotify disadvantage regional artists, risking cultural erasure.
- Advocacy Organizations: The Bulgarian Music Association works to unite musicians, improve the cultural environment, and represent artists in legislative procedures.
- Cultural Representation & Technology: In 2025, Fest Team is introducing haptic suits to concerts, promoting accessibility for impaired audiences to major events, including those with artists like Robbie Williams.
- Industry Support: Organizations like MUSICAUTOR advocate for the rights of creators and seek to secure better economic conditions for artists in Bulgaria.
The 12th edition of the European Forum on Music was held in Sofia in 2024, focusing directly on “Equity in Music”.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.
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