Summary
Spotify’s recent focus on integrating video content has resulted in the infiltration of sexually explicit material within its podcast section. This NSFW content has managed to bypass Spotify’s moderation systems, garnering significant views before being removed after user reports. Moreover, erotic audio content, which also breaches the platform’s guidelines, has managed to remain unnoticed due to clever manipulation by listeners and podcasters alike. Podcasting is experiencing substantial growth, evolving from a music streaming medium to a prominent audio platform.
While YouTube Music has recently made bold claims about its podcasting ambitions, Spotify has been engaged in this segment for a longer duration. Unfortunately, instead of harnessing its experience, Spotify’s move to include video has led to serious issues with explicit content appearing among top-ranking shows, creating a troubling scenario for the service. While explicit content has long been a concern on video platforms like YouTube, recent reports emphasize the increasing frequency of similar issues on Spotify. The Soundbite newsletter documented this alarming trend where peculiar show titles featuring explicit content can now be found alongside reputable podcasts like Marketplace and Prof G Markets within the Top Business Podcasts category, as well as across various other sections.
Typically, the popularity of content on Spotify is determined by unique daily listeners. This means that the explicit material is accruing views while evading the platform’s content moderation processes, which complicates the standing of legitimate podcasts seeking to thrive within the platform. Furthermore, although pornographic material breaches Spotify’s prohibition on sexually explicit content, it remains unclear why such content initially appears on the platform. While monetization cannot be a factor—given the required episode counts and consumption levels—Spotify has acted swiftly in removing flagged content, highlighting weaknesses in its automated detection algorithms.
The ongoing presence of erotic audio shows suggests that without further improvements to these systems, such issues may continue to emerge.
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