Apple Music and Pandora Remove R. Kelly’s Music From Its Playlists
Following Spotify's move to remove R. Kelly's music from its playlists, Apple Music and Pandora have now done the same.
According to a report from Pitchfork, Apple's move actually came before Spotify's announcement, as the company had quietly removed R. Kelly's songs from its curated playlists. Pandora also no longer promotes the singer's music.
Apple says the decision to remove R. Kelly's music was made weeks ago, while Pandora says it has been overhauling its approach to "artists with unacceptable conduct" for months. The streaming service added, "Pandora's policy is to not actively promote artists with certain demonstrable behavioral, ethical or criminal issues."
While R. Kelly's music will no longer be promoted on Spotify, Apple Music or Pandora, his songs can still be found on Spotify and Apple Music, they just have to be searched for. Apple and Pandora also have not come out with a policy like Spotify, addressing an artist's conduct.
On Thursday (May 10), Spotify introduced its new hate content and hateful conduct policy, which it said is in line with the company's values. "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 statement read.
"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 statement continued.
R. Kelly has yet to respond to Apple Music and Pandora's latest move, but his team did slam Spotify for taking action without merit. "Spotify has the right to promote whatever music it chooses, and in this case its actions are without merit. It is acting based on false and unproven allegations," a statement to the Los Angeles Times reads.