Spotify adds 'Scots' as language option for artists
Artists can now list Scots as the language of their music when uploading to the streaming giant, after a campaign by Scottish folk singer Iona Fyfe.
Last updated 5th Mar 2021
There's now a Scots category in languages for Scots on Spotify.
Scots was not an option before, despite artists having various other regional British options to choose from.
Huntly born folk signer Iona Fyfe campaigned the music streaming service to add her own language to the options.
Scots is one of Scotlands three national languages with over 1.5 million speakers and is recognised as a language by the European Charter for Minority Languages.
Iona noticed that despite Spotify listing every other UK Minority Language including Manx, Irish Gaelic, Cornish, Welsh and Scottish Gaelic, Scots was omitted. Iona’s music had been incorrectly categorised as English for several years.
Commenting Iona said:
“It is a big step forward to be able to pressure a global company to change their language policy and add Scots as a language. Being able to categorise my songs under the correct language of Scots means so much to me, and many other singers.
"Once we achieve a Scots Language Act, then the legislation will place responsibility unto other companies to correctly recognise the language.”
Clare Adamson, the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, laid down a Parliamentary motion in support of the campaign last year and wrote to the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek.
She said:
"Iona is a superb advocate for the Scots language and a fabulous musician. Her efforts have been rewarded and I was pleased to help as a long time Scots language advocate myself. It's a sair fecht but now the many talented Scots artists on Spotify will be able to have their work properly recognised."