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Spotify, the music industry’s leading streaming service, said on Thursday that it would stop promoting or recommending music by artists whose content or conduct it deemed to be offensive, hoping to quell a furor over the singer R. Kelly but immediately starting another debate over who qualified for the ban.
The company, which made its Wall Street debut last month, introduced its new policy regarding “hate content and hateful conduct” by citing two artists — R. Kelly, the multiplatinum R&B singer, and XXXtentacion, the troubled young rapper and singer — who Spotify said had been removed from all official playlists and recommendation features on the service.
While their music will remain available for streaming by choice, it will no longer appear in Spotify’s influential curated packages, which often appear on the service’s front page. “We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions — what we choose to program — to reflect our values,” Spotify said in a statement. “When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.”
In the case of R. Kelly, Spotify added its voice to the growing chorus attempting to hold the singer responsible after decades of accusations of sexual misconduct. Last week, the Time’s Up organization, which formed around the #MeToo movement to support victims of sexual abuse, joined a grass-roots #MuteRKelly campaign that has called on his record label and concert promoter, as well as local venues, radio stations and streaming services, to cease its support of the singer.
The company, which made its Wall Street debut last month, introduced its new policy regarding “hate content and hateful conduct” by citing two artists — R. Kelly, the multiplatinum R&B singer, and XXXtentacion, the troubled young rapper and singer — who Spotify said had been removed from all official playlists and recommendation features on the service.
While their music will remain available for streaming by choice, it will no longer appear in Spotify’s influential curated packages, which often appear on the service’s front page. “We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions — what we choose to program — to reflect our values,” Spotify said in a statement. “When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.”
In the case of R. Kelly, Spotify added its voice to the growing chorus attempting to hold the singer responsible after decades of accusations of sexual misconduct. Last week, the Time’s Up organization, which formed around the #MeToo movement to support victims of sexual abuse, joined a grass-roots #MuteRKelly campaign that has called on his record label and concert promoter, as well as local venues, radio stations and streaming services, to cease its support of the singer.
A response from XXXtensions team
This is waters Spotify shouldn't wade into.
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