The streaming service has removed and reviewed some white supremacist bands which allegedly spread hate through their music from the platform.
- Aug 17, 2017
AceShowbiz - In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Spotify has taken a stand against "hate music." Earlier this week, Digital Music News posted an article titled "I Just Found 37 Bands on Spotify", which listed 37 bands that were considered spreading white supremacy through their music. The article caught Spotify's attention, and the streaming company has now decided to remove such music from its vast library.
A spokeswoman tells Billboard in a statement that the company does not tolerate "illegal content or material that favors hatred or incites violence against race, religion, sexuality." She adds, "Spotify takes immediate action to remove any such material as soon as it has been brought to our attention. We are glad to have been alerted to this content-and have already removed many of the bands identified today, whilst urgently reviewing the remainder."
The new step that Spotify is taking right now has probably forced the company to deal with some conflicts. By banning some white supremacist bands, Spotify is in clash with the right of freedom of speech. Bands that either have been removed or reviewed include Blood Red Eagle, Skinfull and Skullhead.
In addition to the bold move, Spotify will promote a new playlist called "Patriotic Passion" that includes Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "Star Spangled Banner", Lady GaGa's "Americano" and Khalid's "American Teen". The spokesperson claims that the playlist is "a soundtrack to an America worth fighting for."
In 2014, Apple's iTunes removed 54 white power groups from its library after Southern Poverty Law Center released a list of hate music. At that time, the organization criticized Spotify for its "slow" handling of the matter.
Responding to the issue, a rep for Spotify said at that time, "We take this very seriously. Content--artist and music--listed by BPjM in Germany is proactively removed from our service. We're a global company, so we use the BPjM index as a global standard for these issues. Other potentially hateful or objectionable content that is flagged by users or others but not on the BpjM list is handled on a case by case basis."
