The announcement this month that Spotify had instituted a new policy to deal with “hate content and hateful conduct” led some to ask: “Where will this end?” Its first decision was to remove the music of the singer R Kelly, serially accused of various sexual misdemeanours, from its promoted playlists. Rival streaming services have followed Spotify’s lead. R Kelly faces no criminal charges and has accused the streaming service of acting on “false and unproven allegations”.
“Where will this end?” is a pertinent question. Indeed, a search of Spotify shows music by Gary Glitter and Lostprophets is still available, which feels morally indefensible when a company is edging towards sanctimony. Pop, rock and rap are full of ne’er-do-wells whose behaviour has been questionable, often exploitative
