Spotify is introducing a new hate content and hate conduct policy following the most recent controversy involving world-famous singer R Kelly.
You might find it surprising, but Spotify did not have a hate content policy in place until now. But the recent R Kelly controversy and the Time’s Up initiative to boycott his music, label RCA, in addition to Spotify, Apple Music, and Ticketmaster, changed that.
Spotify is the first company to respond to the initiative with a new hate content policy, although it is highly unlikely it would remove any music from its platform. The fact is that it would be near impossible to remove all materials that contain what could be interpreted as hate content.
There would not be any rap music left, that’s for sure…
However, the new policy gives Spotify a basis to stop music from being promoted as part of its editorial and algorithmic programs, such as its Discover Weekly playlist, as reported by Billboard.
“When we are alerted to content that violates our policy, we may remove it (in consultation with rights holders) or refrain from promoting or playlisting it on our service,” the company said in a statement. “It’s important to us that our values are reflected in all the work that we do, whether it’s distribution, promotion, or content creation.”
Spotify also clarified that its decision would not solely be based on the music and lyrics, but also on the broader conduct of the artist himself.
Additionally, Spotify is also introducing a new automated monitoring tool – Spotify AudioWatch – that can find content on its platform that has been flagged as hate content elsewhere around the web.
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