Every Wednesday at noon, Ryan Schleicher, Evan Rytlewski, and Matt Wild take to the WMSE airwaves to discuss all things Milwaukee. This half-hour fun-fest is called The Disclaimer, so named because none of the oft-ridiculous views expressed on the show necessarily reflect the views of the hosts’ employers. Milwaukee music, Milwaukee art, Milwaukee events, and D.I.Y. lawn care tips are frequently discussed—and rarely agreed upon. The Disclaimer: Talk radio for the sane.
On May 11, Spotify announced a new two-part policy to remove both “hate content” and “hate conduct” from its wildly popular music streaming service. The first part was self-explanatory—no hate speech allowed—but the “hate conduct” part was more vague, and more controversial. Aimed at removing the music of abusive artists like R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from Spotify playlists (but not Spotify itself), the policy quickly received backlash from the music industry, including heavy hitters like Kendrick Lamar. A few weeks later, Spotify walked back the policy. So how did such a well-intentioned move go so wrong? Ryan, Evan, and Matt offer up some theories, talk about how the music industry (and music writers) should handle abusive artists, and wonder if “whataboutism” might actually be a good thing.
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