Celebrity Fan Web – Anna’s Archive, an open-source search engine known for indexing shadow libraries, claims it has scraped Spotify’s entire music catalog. The group stated it collected metadata for approximately 256 million tracks from the streaming platform. It also said it obtained audio files for about 86 million songs.
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According to Anna’s Archive, the total size of the collected data is just under 300 terabytes. The group described the project as a large-scale preservation effort rather than a commercial undertaking. It published details of the activity in a recent blog post.
In that post, the group said it discovered a method to scrape Spotify at scale some time ago. Members said this technical discovery prompted discussions about preserving music. They argued that large streaming catalogs represent important cultural records.
Anna’s Archive said the collection spans more than 15 million artists. It also includes metadata for over 58 million albums. The group described the dataset as unprecedented in its scope and accessibility.
The organization is best known for archiving books, academic papers, and other text-based materials. It claims access to tens of millions of written works. However, it said its mission extends beyond text alone.
According to the group, its stated goal is preserving humanity’s knowledge and culture across all media types. Music, it argued, deserves the same preservation focus as literature and research. The group said this philosophy motivated the Spotify scrape.
Anna’s Archive acknowledged that Spotify does not contain all music ever created. Nevertheless, it described the platform as a strong starting point. It noted Spotify’s global reach and dominance in digital music consumption.
The group said the 86 million archived songs represent about 99.6 percent of listens on Spotify. However, it added that these files cover only around 37 percent of Spotify’s total catalog. Millions of tracks remain unarchived, according to the group.
Spotify Responds as Archive Plans Staged Music File Releases
Anna’s Archive said it intends to make all collected files available for public download. Access will depend on users having sufficient storage capacity. The group framed the release as a public preservation archive.
It said music files will be released gradually. Releases will follow an order based on popularity. The group stated it would use Spotify’s own listening metrics to determine priority.
Anna’s Archive argued that existing music collections are heavily skewed toward popular artists. It also criticized collectors’ emphasis on high-fidelity files. According to the group, such practices create unnecessarily large archives.
The group claimed its approach balances breadth and efficiency. It said compressed audio formats allow broader representation of less-heard artists. It described its metadata collection as the largest publicly available music database.
Despite these claims, the activity raises significant legal concerns. Sharing or downloading copyrighted music without authorization violates intellectual property laws. Anna’s Archive acknowledged that its actions fall outside legal boundaries.
Spotify has responded publicly to the claims. A spokesperson told Engadget that the company identified and disabled accounts involved in unlawful scraping. Spotify said those users engaged in nefarious behavior.
The company also said it implemented new safeguards to prevent similar incidents. Spotify stated it is actively monitoring for suspicious activity. It emphasized its ongoing commitment to copyright protection.
In its statement, Spotify said it has supported the artist community since its founding. The company said it works closely with industry partners. It reiterated its position against piracy and unauthorized distribution. Spotify did not comment on the full scale of the alleged scrape. It also did not address whether additional legal action is planned. The company focused instead on preventative measures.
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The situation highlights tensions between digital preservation advocates and copyright enforcement. Streaming platforms increasingly dominate music access worldwide. At the same time, long-term preservation remains a contested issue.
As Anna’s Archive prepares staged releases, scrutiny is expected to intensify. Rights holders may seek enforcement actions. The debate over cultural preservation versus intellectual property protection is likely to continue.