Kanye West’s music will remain on Spotify even after his anti-Semitic outbursts. As announced by the streaming service, West’s label should have requested the removal itself, Spotify couldn’t decide that. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced on Tuesday (October 25).
Ek is aware of West’s tirades: the unsustainable claims about the cause of George Floyd’s death, the display of “WhiteLivesMatter” long-sleeved shirts, and anti-Jewish comments on talk shows and on Twitter.
However, Kanye West’s music is available on the streaming platform because “[e]It’s really about his music and his music doesn’t violate our policies. It is up to his label to decide whether they want to act or not, “the Spotify boss told Reuters.
What does West’s label say about it? Def Jam, who owns the rights to every Kanye West song between 2002 and 2016 and managed the distribution until last year, said, “There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.” According to Daniel Ek, Def Jam has not yet asked for the removal of his albums and his songs. Songs can also be streamed to Apple Music and YouTube Music.
In 2018, Spotify removed the music of R. Kelly, who was convicted of sexual abuse and is serving a prison sentence, from all of its playlists and other advice.
