Nadine Osman
More than 500 songs linked to Hindu nationalist ideology are being hosted and monetised on some of the world’s biggest music platforms despite containing alleged hate speech, threats and calls for violence against religious minorities, a bombshell new report claims.
Researchers identified 523 songs across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Meta’s Music Library that they say promote hatred towards Muslims and Christians, with nearly half containing explicit calls for violence.
The findings were published on June 15 by Washington-based watchdog The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) in a report titled Profiting from Hate Music: The Role of YouTube, Meta, Spotify and Apple Music in Hosting and Monetizing India’s Hate Music Industry.
Researchers warned that the songs form part of a “self-reinforcing ecosystem” in which hatred towards religious minorities is amplified online while creators continue to profit from views, advertising and user donations.
The report focuses on content linked to Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology that critics say has fuelled hostility towards minorities in India, while supporters argue it represents a form of cultural nationalism.
Drawing on a database compiled between January 2025 and January 2026, researchers found YouTube hosted 210 of the songs identified, followed by Spotify with 109, Meta’s Music Library with 103 and Apple Music with 101.
According to the report, many of the tracks contain anti-Muslim and anti-Christian slurs, conspiracy theories and threats against places of worship. Researchers found that 263 songs included direct threats or incitement against religious minorities, while the remainder relied on dehumanising language and harmful stereotypes.
The content has attracted a vast audience. Videos linked to the songs have racked up more than 198 million views on YouTube, while tracks available through Meta’s music library have been used in more than 5.9 million Instagram Reels.
“The overall effect is a self-reinforcing ecosystem in which hateful rhetoric and violent threats against religious minorities are encouraged, rewarded and largely free from scrutiny or consequence,” the report said.
The study also raises questions about how major technology companies police content on their platforms. Researchers found that three YouTube channels alone were responsible for more than 40 per cent of the songs identified and remained verified and monetised despite allegedly breaching platform policies.
One channel, Mayur Music, was singled out for hosting 25 songs flagged by researchers while also receiving YouTube’s Silver Creator Award. More than half of the videos examined had YouTube’s “Super Thanks” feature enabled, allowing viewers to financially support creators directly.
Researchers also claimed that 20 of the 30 leading Hindutva singers examined maintained monetised Facebook accounts. The report further found adverts from more than 100 brands appearing alongside the videos, including ChatGPT, Google’s NotebookLM, Amazon Prime, Adobe, Dell, Flipkart, Kellogg’s and Levi’s, as well as India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India.
The findings are likely to intensify scrutiny of Big Tech’s handling of hate speech after researchers reported 225 songs to platforms between October and November 2025. By the end of April 2026, only 18 had been removed, while 207 remained online — meaning more than 90 per cent of the content flagged by researchers was still available.
This version reads much closer to a Mail Online exclusive: stronger headline, punchier opening, shorter paragraphs, earlier placement of the most striking figures (523 songs, 198 million views, 90% still online), and less policy-report language.
