As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Spotify had decided to pull its service from the country. As the catalyst for shutting down the service, the world’s largest music streaming platform cited recently passed censorship laws in Russia and the danger such actions pose for Spotify’s employees and customers.
In a statement about its decision, a Spotify said “Spotify has continued to believe that it’s critically important to try and keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region,” “Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk. After carefully considering our options and the current circumstances, we have come to the difficult decision to fully suspend our service in Russia.”
Spotify expects their platform to be fully suspended in Russia come early April and removing the service entirely is the most dramatic measure the company has taken against Russia to date after they closed its Russian offices, stopped offering Spotify Premium subscriptions in that country and announced measures to limit discoverability of Russian state-owned media on the platform.
Artists like Green Day, Louis Tomlinson and the Killers cancelled their Russian tour dates following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and concert promoter Live Nation said it wouldn’t do business with Russia.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Sorosh Tavakoli