Fans say Spotify didn't go far enough in removing R Kelly Music
Amid the campaign to #MuteRKelly, Spotify made a bold move by announcing that it is no longer promoting the controversial singer’s music. However, R. Kelly’s songs will remain on the streaming site, leading some to say that the company could have been even bolder in its decision.
Spotify announced a new “hate content and hateful conduct policy” on Thursday. It stipulates, “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 (for example, violence against children and sexual violence), it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.”
The company then said in a statement to Billboard that, as a result of the new policy, “We are removing R. Kelly’s music from all Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations such as Discover Weekly. His music will still be available on the service, but Spotify will not actively promote it.”
So far, Kelly is the only artist that Spotify has publicly said is being affected by this new policy.
While there have certainly been many people applauding the move, there have also been voices asking: Is this enough? As accusations against Kelly continue to grow — two more women came forward late last week alleging sexual abuse, followed by Tuesday’s Megyn Kelly Today featuring more of his alleged victims — is simply not promoting his music, but continuing to have it available and profit from it, enough?
