American R&B singer R. Kelly’s music was removed from playlists and recommendations on Spotify, the streaming service said on Thursday, after a campaign to boycott the singer who has been accused of sexual misconduct.
Kelly, 51, one of the most successful R&B singers of the past 20 years, has been the object of an online #MuteRKelly boycott campaign that gained momentum last week when it was adopted by the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment.
The action will affect Spotify-owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations, the company said. Kelly’s music will still be available on the service but the decision to remove it from playlists means it will no longer be promoted.
Kelly’s manager John Holder did not reply to Reuters requests for comment.
Spotify Technologies SA (SPOT.N) said in a statement, “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.”
“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,” it said.
Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service, with 75 million paid subscribers.
Last July Kelly, whose given name is Robert, denied accusations in an article by U.S. media outlet BuzzFeed News that he was keeping a household of young women in a “cult” atmosphere.
