The aftermath of Spotify’s new “Hateful Conduct and Hate Speech” policy is just getting started.
Last week, Spotify announced its controversial “Hateful Conduct and Hate Content” policy, one that would remove the music of artists in violation of these new policies. Specifically, songs would be yanked from various playlists, though not erased from the platform itself.
Spotify has partnered up with numerous rights advocacy groups and is cracking down on music that is deemed too offensive. Or, at least created by an offensive person (based on Spotify’s judgment).
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Spotify’s new policy has been met with a very mixed reception, to say the least. One side is praising the platform for taking a stand against those who have either acted in unethical ways, or have music deemed too offensive. The other side argues that this new policy is loosely veiled censorship, and opens a very slippery slope.
So where does this leave Troy Carter?
Earlier this week, rumors surfaced that Spotify Global Head of Creator Services, Troy Carter, would be departing the company in the wake of the announcement of the “Hateful Conduct and Hate Policy” policy.
Several insider sources told Variety that Carter was vehemently against the implementation of this new policy, and in particular, the arbitrary determination of values. If this is the case, one can hardly blame him.
Mr. Carter gave some strong opinions in an interview with Variety back in January. During the interview, Carter described himself as a liaison between Spotify and music artists. Someone who opens up a dialogue between the two, and eliminates any misunderstandings and promotes engagement for the betterment of both parties.
The massive amount of backlash these new policies have received make it evidently clear that people aren’t happy. Including many in the artist community.
After being removed from Spotify’s playlists, R.Kelly and XXXTentacion have expressed their vehement disapproval of the removal of their music and have questioned Spotify’s actions. Other artists are also expressing reservations, while questioning why R. Kelly and XXXTentacion were randomly selected among thousands of potentially ‘bad actors’. All of which puts Troy Carter between a rock and a hard place.
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These are all mere rumors as of now, with no confirmation from Mr. Carter about the authenticity of the claims. Spotify has vehemently denied the rumors. Meanwhile, Troy Carter will soon be celebrating his two-year anniversary at the company, and if he were to depart amidst this controversy, the timing would be strangely coincidental.
Perhaps Spotify was attempting to solidify its status as the top company in the industry from both a business and ethical point of view. Needless to say, this new policy appears to have had the opposite effect. Spotify now has a lot of damage control to do, and Troy Carter may not be sticking around to help put out the fires.