According to The Pulse Of Radio, women's advocacy group UltraViolet has called for Spotify to remove the music of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler, THE EAGLES' Don Henley, Ted Nugent and other artists from the streaming service, stating that the musicians were being "glorified despite allegations of abuse." The demand came after Spotify removed a number of artists last week as part of a new hate content policy aimed at refusing exposure to those with a history of abusive behavior. Acts like R. Kelly and XXXTentacion, two artists with long histories of sexual misconduct and abuse, were dropped from the service as a result of the new policy. UltraViolet executive director Shaunna Thomas wrote in an open letter to Spotify chief Daniel Ek: "On behalf of our one million members, UltraViolet applauds and supports this choice. Yet as you know, these two men are not the only abusers on your platform. We implore you to take a deeper look at the artists you promote." Thomas added: "Every time a famous individual continues to be glorified despite allegations of abuse, we wrongly perpetuate silence by showing survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence that there will be no consequences for abuse." In a statement announcing Spotify's decision to no longer include R. Kelly on its playlists, the online music sharing site said: "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. When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator." Kelly's management responded in a statement that the singer "has never been accused of hate" and insisted that he was "innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff." Kelly's management went on to accuse Spotify of "bowing to social-media fads and picking sides in a fame-seeking dispute over matters that have nothing to do with serving customers."
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