Spotify users will no longer be able to find R. Kelly’s catalog under the terms of a new public hate content and hateful conduct policy.
The streaming service will remove his songs from features like RapCaviar, Discover Weekly or New Music Friday, for example, as well as its other genre- or mood-based playlists.
Spotify told Billboard:
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. 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.
The company is making it a point to acknowledge that there are different cultural standards as to what is considered offensive around the world, with the enforcement of the new hateful conduct.
The Pied Piper has been accused of leading a sex cult, and two more women accused him of sexual misconduct this week.
