Spotify bans R. Kelly from playlists as hate policy announced

Spotify announced Thursday a policy on hate content and conduct, and the streaming company has barred the music of R. Kelly from its playlists.

The company said on its website that when it’s alerted to content that violates its policy, the company may remove it from playlists or refrain from promoting it.

“It’s important to us that our values are reflected in all the work that we do, whether it’s distribution, promotion, or content creation,” the company said.

Shares of Spotify surged in trading Thursday as the broader market rallied.

The company said Spotify users will no longer be able to find R. Kelly’s music on any of the streaming service's playlists.

"We are removing R. Kelly’s music from all Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations such as Discover Weekly," a Spotify spokesperson told FOX Business in an emailed statement. "His music will still be available on the service, but Spotify will not actively promote it. 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.”

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
SPOT	SPOTIFY TECHNOLOGY SA	289.02	+7.79	+2.77%

Billboard reported that R. Kelly has been accused by multiple women of sexual violence. He recently told The Associated Press that the media are attempting to distort and destroy his legacy by reporting allegations that he mistreats women.

Spotify debuted on the New York Stock Exchange through a direct listing last month and closed its first day of trading at $149.01 per share, above its initial reference point of $132 per share. That placed the Swedish company at a valuation of $25 billion.