Spotify faces calls for boycott after hosting Infowars podcasts

SPOTIFY is facing mounting calls for a boycott of its services after its decision to host the controversial podcasts of Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones outraged users.

Mr Jones, who hosts the Infowars podcasts that share rumours and unverified news, has attracted criticism over a wide variety of false claims and personal attacks, leading to him being banned or censured by other tech platforms, such as Youtube and Facebook.

However Spotify, which is primarily known as a music streaming service but also holds podcasts, recently started hosting Alex Jones’s show, which has been described as a purveyor of “hate, fear, and propaganda”.

The US conspiracy theorist has gained fame online for perpetuating the stories that the illuminati controls the world and that frogs are being turned gay by polluted water supplies.

Mr Jones has also suggested that a number of mass shootings, including the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut in the United States, where 20 children were killed, did not take place or were faked.

In response to Spotify’s decision to not ban the podcasts, some users have claimed they will end their premium accounts, where users pay monthly fees to have a service with no advertisements. Some artists have also threatened to boycott the service, with Chris Mezzolesta, an actor and musician, tweeting “Hey @Spotify @spotifyartists @Spotifycares how do I go about getting my music pulled off of your service? I can do without the extra $0.09 a year it pays me to no longer be associated in any way with destructive people like @infowars.” One user posted: “I love Spotify and I don’t know what I’d do without it, but I can’t keep giving them my money if they continue to give a platform to Sandy Hook denier Alex Jones.”

Another angry customer said: “Hey Spotify I’ve been a paying premium member for 3 years. I am willing to cancel my subscription unless you take off Alex Jones’s podcast. He foments fear and harasses innocent victims in real life, and online. He has no place on your platform.”

“Hey, Spotify, dump crazy hurtful Alex Jones or I will go back to CDS,” said one user.

Facebook recently banned Mr Jones for 30 days and took down four of his videos because he broke the site’s community standards. Facebook’s move followed similar actions by Youtube last week.

One of the videos shows a man pushing a child to the floor, while another features Mr Jones criticising Muslim immigrants to Europe.

Spotify said that it would not be commenting on the matter.