R. Kelly Music Removed From Spotify Playlist As Part of New Policy

The company will no longer promote the singer's music in any way.

r. kelly
Singer-songwriter R. Kelly performs in concert at Bass Concert Hall on March 3, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Rick Kern/WireImage)
WireImage

As part of Spotify’s new public hate content and hateful conduct policy, the company will no longer promote R. Kelly’s music in any way. They removed the R&B singer’s songs from flagship playlists like RapCaviar, Discover Weekly or New Music Friday, for example, as well as its other genre- or mood-based playlists, reports Billboard. 

“We are removing R. Kelly’s music from all Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations such as Discover Weekly,” Spotify told Billboard in a statement. “His music will still be available on the service, but Spotify will not actively promote it. 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. 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.”

Kelly has been accused by multiple women of sexual violence, coercion and running a “sex cult.” Two additional women came forward to Buzzfeed this week. At the end of April, a #MuteRKelly movement began, demanding that R. Kelly’s label, as well Spotify, Apple music, Ticketmaster and Greensboro Coliseum Complex (which is supposed to host a concert by Kelly May 11), end their current business ties to the artist.

So far, Kelly is the only artist that Spotify specifically acknowledged would fall under this new public policy, but others might be affected in the future.

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