XXXTentacion has emerged as one of the new generation's leading voices, known for his malleable musical aesthetic and notoriously checkered past. While the young Floridian appears to be in the midst of a redemption arc of sorts, he recently found himself at the center of another controversy. You might recall Spotify's decision to remove the music of XXXTentacion, R. Kelly, and Tay-K from all their official playlists, which stemmed as a result of their new "public hate content and hateful conduct policy." Evidently, the streaming juggernaut deemed X problematic, and took a strong stance against promoting his music.
While many have spoken out against Spotify's "case by case" decision to target (predominantly non-white) artists, some wondered whether the removal would have an immediate impact on X's numbers. Now, an extensive report from Billboard has confirmed that ? single "Sad" have declined seventeen percent per day since being removed. Unfortunately for X, his Spotify numbers aren't the only thing being affected; the report also indicates a 9 percent decline across all major streaming services, as well as a dip in radio plays. All this to say, X is reportedly looking at a potential loss of up to $60,000 a year.
With such tangible results emerging so early, it will no doubt further embroil the already heated discourse. As X initially pointed out upon the announcement, many respected artists have their fair share of legal woes, including many revered rock stars. As of now, X has yet to issue further comment. What do ya'll think? Are Spotify out of line on this one?
