Did Spotify remove Ed Sheeran's music from its platform?

Claim: In mid-September 2026, music streaming company Spotify removed the music of Ed Sheeran from its platform. A rumor spread in mid-September 2026 that Spotify removed the music of Ed Sheeran from its platform after musician Macklemore was dropped as an opening act on his tour. Macklemore had expressed support for the Palestinian cause during a concert. For example, an Instagram post claimed on Sept. 16: "Spotify has removed Ed Sheerans songs from the platform. Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour after making pro-Palestinian statements onstage. Several venues reportedly objected to keeping him on the lineup" (archived): (Instagram user ragebaitnews) Some users seemed to interpret the claim that Spotify had reacted to Macklemore's cancellation from Sheeran's tour by removing Sheeran's music from its streaming platform as true. Snopes readers searched the website to confirm its legitimacy. To check whether the claim was true, we first used search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo. If Spotify had really taken down Sheeran's music, journalists with reputable news outlets, such as The Associated Press or Reuters, would have widely reported on it, and those search inquiries would have uncovered such evidence. This was not the case. We identified the claim's original source: an X account that recounted the scenario about Spotify banning Sheeran's music described its content as "parody & satire." Hoops Crave first shared the rumor on Sept. 14 (archived). "Parody & Satire Entertainment | Not real news," its bio reads. Snopes reached out to Hoops Crave for its response to the fact that some people mistook the satirical story as real news. We also attempted to contact Sheeran and Spotify for their responses to the false story circulating online. We will update this story if we receive responses. Snopes has debunked similar pieces of media before. For example, in August 2026, we alerted readers to a fake story about Disney buying Dollywood, with comparable origins. Because satire is subjective, we use "originated as satire" or "labeled satire" ratings based on creators' description of their work. It's your call whether you agree. Sources Christensen, Laerke. "Did Disney Buy Dollywood? Claim Is Pure Fantasy." Snopes, Snopes.com, 29 Aug. 2026, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disney-buy-dollywood-false/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.Lee, Jessica. "Why Snopes Covers Satire and Parody." Snopes, 26 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com/notes/snopes-satire-parody/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026. By Anna Rascouët-Paz Anna Rascouët-Paz is based in Brooklyn, fluent in numerous languages and specializes in science and economic topics. Got tips? Reach out to her on Signal at rascouetsnopes.41 or via email at anna@snopes.com. Article Tags