Spotify, Apple Music & Other Platforms Remove Racist Music After Investigations
Image via nikkimeel / Shutterstock.com
Music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube Music have withdrawn several tracks featuring racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic overtones from their platforms after an investigation by the BBC.
The British publication discovered over 30 artists and bands tied to hate groups from these services. Some of the songs were also listed in public Spotify playlists under a genre linked to Nazism.
Some of the albums and song titles had been tweaked to likely avoid detection by the algorithms, but a number of them were blatant with their naming and lyrics, which included white nationalistic and violent themes.
Most of the platforms have removed the hateful music. Spotify declared that it bans any music that expresses hate and violence, while Apple Music pointed to its “strong editorial guidelines” that drive it to remove such content. YouTube announced that it does not condone hatred on its service.
Though the hateful content has been removed, it isn’t clear how many creators had managed to circumvent these strict policies in the first place.
A BBC investigation by @dcakraemer & @SteveH1982 found Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube hosting far-right bands.
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) October 23, 2020
HOPE not hate's @nick_spooner1 spoke to @annita_mcveigh about the danger of allowing white supremacist music to circulate on streaming platforms. pic.twitter.com/VjBTi5T7Xs
[via Engadget, cover image via nikkimeel / Shutterstock.com]
Also check out these recent news
