Update: December 22, 2025 (19:50 UAE): Spotify has shared the following statement with Android Authority addressing the claims of scraping.
An investigation into unauthorized access identified that a third party scraped public metadata and used illicit tactics to circumvent DRM to access some of the platform’s audio files. We are actively investigating the incident.
A large-scale scrape of Spotify’s catalog is now circulating online, raising questions about digital preservation, copyright enforcement, and the long-term stability of streaming platforms. According to a recent announcement from Anna’s Archive, the group claims it has collected metadata for roughly 256 million tracks hosted on Spotify, alongside audio files for approximately 86 million songs. In total, the archive is said to occupy close to 300 terabytes and is already being distributed through public torrents.
Anna’s Archive is primarily known for backing up books, academic papers, and other written material that it argues is at risk of disappearing behind paywalls or licensing changes. Extending that mission to music, the group frames this project as an attempt to preserve modern audio culture that exists almost entirely inside commercial streaming services. Its claim is that while globally popular music is likely to survive in multiple backups, less-played tracks and niche releases could effectively vanish if licensing deals lapse or platforms shut down access.
The scale of the data involved is significant even by contemporary standards. The archive reportedly covers around 99.6 percent of all listening activity on Spotify, organized by popularity to make distribution more manageable. Audio quality varies: frequently streamed tracks are stored in Spotify’s standard 160 kbps format, while lesser-known songs have been compressed further to reduce storage demands. Music released after July 2025 may not be included, and at present, only the metadata portion of the archive is fully accessible, with audio files being released gradually.
From a legal standpoint, the situation is straightforward, even if the motivations are not. Spotify licenses music from labels and rights holders under contracts that tightly control copying and redistribution. Scraping audio at this scale and sharing it publicly conflicts with both Spotify’s terms of service and copyright law in most jurisdictions. Arguments centered on preservation have historically found little protection in copyright statutes, which generally do not carve out exceptions for unofficial archiving efforts.
The likely response from the music industry is predictable. Takedown notices, legal pressure, and attempts to disrupt distribution channels are all plausible next steps. Whether such actions can meaningfully limit access once data of this size is widely mirrored remains uncertain. What is clear is that this episode highlights a growing tension between centralized streaming platforms and the question of who ultimately safeguards digital culture when access is mediated entirely by licensing agreements.
