A hacker group has claimed responsibility for scraping an unprecedented volume of music from Spotify. This development could threaten artist royalties and raise fresh concerns about copyright protection in the streaming era.
The group, known as Anna’s Archives, alleges it has copied nearly 86 million music files from Spotify. According to the group, the data represents roughly 99.6% of all listens on the platform. The platform hosts more than 100 million tracks and serves over 700 million users worldwide.
Anna’s Archives says its intention is not commercial distribution but long-term preservation. In a blog post, the group described the effort as an attempt to create a public-facing music archive. “We saw a role for us here to build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation,” the post stated.
The group claims the scraped data totals around 300 terabytes and includes detailed metadata. This includes track information and other identifiers, alongside the audio files.
A pirate activist group has reportedly scraped and uploaded Spotify’s entire music catalog online.
The breach includes 86 million audio files, now circulating on P2P networks in bulk torrents totaling around 300 terabytes. pic.twitter.com/guBDPwL2rR
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) December 21, 2025Despite the scale of the alleged breach, Spotify said user accounts remain secure and unaffected. The company confirmed it has disabled accounts linked to the group and is monitoring the situation closely.
Spotify also said it believes the scraped catalogue has not been released publicly. However, the incident has intensified fears across the music industry. There are concerns that such data could be used to train artificial intelligence systems without artists’ consent or compensation.
Read: Bad Bunny Crowned Spotify’s Most Streamed Artist of 2025
The potential misuse of large-scale music datasets has become a sensitive issue as AI-generated content grows more sophisticated. Artists and rights holders worry that unauthorised data access could undermine creative ownership and future earnings.
Anna’s Archive has scraped #Spotify, claiming access to 99.6% of the platform’s listens. This #DataBreach involves 300TB of metadata and audio.
Spotify told PCMag it disabled the accounts used for this #MusicPiracy. #TechNews #CyberSecurity
Read more on PCMag 🔗… pic.twitter.com/zvAIauVWQM
— PCMag (@PCMag) December 23, 2025In response, Spotify said it has strengthened its defences. “We’ve implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behaviour,” the company said in a statement.
Spotify reiterated its commitment to protecting creators and safeguarding original works from misuse or infringement. As investigations continue, the incident underscores the growing tension between digital access, copyright protection, and emerging technologies in the global music industry.
