The R&B singer R Kelly and the rapper XXXTentacion have protested at their music being removed from Spotify’s playlists as part of the streaming service’s new policy around “hateful conduct”.
In a statement on Thursday, Spotify said the policy means artists that do not “reflect our values” would not be promoted by the company, and would not be included on its own curated playlists. The artists’ music can still be streamed via Spotify and added to playlists by users.
Kelly has been accused by numerous women of holding them and others – including children – against their will in a cult, following years of accusations of sexual abuse against women and children. He has always denied wrongdoing and was found not guilty in the only case to go to court, in 2008. XXXTentacion meanwhile, whose album ? topped the US chart this year, is awaiting trial for charges of domestic abuse and witness harassment (to which he has pleaded not guilty).
R Kelly’s management wrote in a statement: “R Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire … He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff … It is acting based on false and unproven allegations. It is bowing to social-media fads and picking sides in a fame-seeking dispute over matters that have nothing to do with serving customers.”
XXXTentacion’s management said they “don’t have a comment”, but asked if Spotify would continue to include on its playlists other artists accused of wrongdoing, including Gene Simmons, David Bowie, James Brown and Dr Dre.
Kelly’s management also accused Spotify of promoting “numerous other artists who are convicted felons, others who have been arrested on charges of domestic violence and artists who sing lyrics that are violent and anti-women in nature”. Spotify said it will make decisions on a “case by case basis”.
In related news, performances by the former New York Metropolitan Opera director James Levine were recently removed by online and satellite radio station Sirius XM after he was fired following an investigation that found evidence of sexual harassment. The station said the performances “will be reintroduced to the programming at an appropriate time”.
