IT’S SPOT REMOVAL
Streaming service yanks R. Kelly, 2nd artist over abuse claims
SPOTIFY WON’T promote songs by R. Kelly amid a wave of sex allegations against the singer.
The streaming service said Thursday it is taking Kelly’s music off every featured playlist that it has created and owned after determining the singer is in violation of the company’s “hate content” and “hateful conduct” guidelines.
“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,” a rep for Spotify said in a statement.
Later, Spotify also yanked the music of XXXTentacion, who is facing charges in Florida of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman.
Kelly (inset), 51, is accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, including a former girlfriend, Kitti Jones, who claims the singer abused her and introduced her to a woman he was grooming as his “pet” since she was 14.
Kelly’s team issued a denial after those allegations surfaced last week, describing them to The New York Times as “dark descriptions put forth by instigators and liars who have their own agenda for seeking profit and fame.”
A recently launched campaign led by the Time’s Up initiative called #MuteRKelly is asking for a boycott of the singer’s music.
Contacted by various news sources, a spokesman for XXXTentacion asked: “Will Spotify remove all the artists listed below from playlists?” The rep then listed the names of various musicians accused of abuse or misconduct, including James Brown, David Bowie and Michael Jackson.