Spotify will #MuteRKelly by removing him from all playlists

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published 10 May 2018

Spotify has joined the #MuteRKelly movement.

The music streaming service told Billboard on Thursday that R. Kelly's music would no longer be included on any playlists, in an effort to "reflect our values."

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Spotify has removed R. Kelly's music from all curated playlists as well as algorithmic playlists, which pull music for a user based on their listening history. "His music will still be available on the service, but Spotify will not actively promote it," Spotify told Billboard in a statement. "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 new policy was reportedly designed to disassociate from artists who engage in "egregious" conduct, but will leave music on the service to avoid "censoring content."

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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