[All Platforms][Playlists] Donating to BLM

[Laura__T1]

With the protests happening yesterday and today in response to police brutality and the senseless murders of several unarmed black people, I think that Spotify should donate a portion or all of the profits they make from people streaming the Black Lives Matter playlist under Black History is Now in discover. There are many avenues to donate, but the simplest would be to Black Lives Matter movement. This is a way for people who can't afford to donate to still support the movement financially and could be a limited action on behalf of Spotify. Here's the donation tab for BLM if any other users want to donate directly 

[Victoriasf]

I second this notion. Bandcamp is donating ALL of their proceeds to the NAACP legal defense fund on juneteenth. This would be an excellent opportunity for an extremely financially successful company to take a stance and support the community. 

[DevilEars]

Please note the amount of complaints on this forum targeted at Spotify specifically for getting involved in politics. I am a foreigner with no interest in American politics, even less interest in Black Lives Matter/BLM, even less in Woke politics, and even less in politics in general. If Spotify is going to donate my subscription fees to political causes, I would prefer them not to do so in the first place, but if they are going to do that, then I would like to be notified so I can reconsider my paid supscription. I pay Spotify for a music streaming service. I actively avoid legacy media and other Big Tech firms's platforms because of their politics. I prefer an apolitical, secular service, but if Spotify wants to get woke, then it can get broke like the rest of them - or at least do so without my subscription. I want tunes. I don't want to 'show solidarity' or even hear about riots in other parts of the world.

[Laura__T1]

I understand not wanting to get beat over the head with American politics, but I also want to emphasize that my idea is for money from one specific playlist be donated. Unless you and everyone else in this thread who are staunchly anti-politics listen regularly to the Black Lives Matter playlist, none of your subscription money would go to any cause at all. By limiting where the money to donate is generated, each individual using Spotify can choose to engage or not.

[DevilEars]

I am opposed to political donations of any kind. I would like proceeds to go towards musicians.

[jomolist]

It seems your idea @Laura_T1 has caused a little debate. While I strongly agree that corporations such as Spotify should be active and informed in these issues as should every other corporation should be for the good of humanity, Spotify also has obligations to its users that their subscription costs are being used to better enhance the product and pay out artists fairly. Donating some of these profits would compromise Spotify's obligations to its customers and artists, even though it is for a good cause.

My idea is that Spotify should budget and plan out a campaign supporting the NAACP, and costs such as artists compensation, product, legal etc are all accounted for and then any extra should be donated back to the NAACP. If Spotify where to just say we will donate all earnings or even a portion from the Black Lives Matter Playlist, it would be an unexpected cost, one they did not plan for.

In response to other users, I have to emphasize that these really are not political donations, these are humanity donations. Large companies like Spotify hold a lot of power around the world, if they simply ignore issues like this it really takes the human connection out of the company's mission.

That's just my perspective

[DevilEars]

You are entitled to your perspective and do note that the notion that corporations have a responsibility to get involved in political causes is also a perspective. One with which many disagree. My perspective is that a music streaming service such as Spotify should focus on improving their service, and mostly, if not always, steer as far away from anything as divisive as politics or religion. The NAACP itself is also not an impartial organisation, and is often involved in controversy. Rather stay away from politics entirely, and focus on your customers. 

If I buy lemonade from a lemonade stand, I am primarily concerned with the quality of the lemonade. If they also support a political cause, then that implies that I need to both be concerned with lemonade, and buy in to their political alignment. That is a decidedly smaller audience already. Better to keep all lemonade lovers happy, otherwise you can only keep say NAACP supporters who are also lemonade lovers happy, since you will alienate all the other lemonade lovers.

Politics has caused enough damage already. Rather let it go.

[jomolist]

You are absolutely right that the NAACP has its flaws, just with every corporation and organization. I think we can agree that Spotify's main responsibility should focus on its content for a better experience to its users.

The only thing I will add is that Spotify is not a one man lemonade stand, it has thousands of employees, some employees in public relations whose job specializes on politics and public matter. As a result one would argue that it can take a stance (though we are debating if it should), without compromising its quality if any a microscopic amount. Looking at Spotify's perspective, they probably should be active in these matters as there are a lot of Black Lives Matters supporters who use Spotify. Spotify wants to protect its brand image so they make a stance, it is really  a business decision.

Unfortunately those as smart as yourself are underrepresented in this matter as not everyone will realize that with Spotify active in these issues, it could possibly mean a decrease in some feature for its customers (though it could go completely unnoticed). Spotify should let us customers know what there plans are when balancing there stance and our customer experience.

That is just my perspective

[DevilEars]

Just like with the lemonade stand, a corporation cannot take a stance for something without alienating those who are not in favour of taking a stance for the same thing, and risk alienating those who are indifferent towards that thing. Examples of rather big corporations who did take a stance for something and ended up not only alienating their customers, having their service suffer as a result, and doing damage to the very causes that they were trying to support with the best of intentions, are too numerous to mention.

I'm not trying to be smart or trying to disagree for the sake of disagreeing. I'm just a fellow Spotify subscriber who will cancel my subscription if Spotify gets involved with politics. That counts even for political causes which I do support. 

[jomolist]

Well if you think this is the first time that Spotify had a political stance then I have to let you know you should have cancelled your subscription years ago. In 2017 they launched a campaign protesting the travel ban, going right after the president.

https://www.vox.com/world/2017/7/7/15934320/spotify-trump-travel-ban-playlist

I know your not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing, in fact I think we are just saying the same thing. Just try to understand Spotify's position and realize they can't please everyone. At the end of the day it is still by far the best music app, and while it may take an active approach in politics, it does its job for the most part with providing the music we love at a fair price and convenient method. 

That is just my perspective.

[DevilEars]

I wasn't a subscriber in 2017, I am a subscriber since 2018 when I switched from Google Music because of YouTube censorship on their platform. Had I known that Spotify had a history of political activism, I would rather have stuck with their free service since I'm going to get adverts shoved in my face anyway.

[leon1007]

Here's an idea, stop promoting this political insanity and promoting all the vandalism and rioting on the streets. Shame on Spotify for promoting this anarchy and forcing us to stare these politically biased albums and art without the option to hide it

[Daemonmonkey]

I don't want my money to go to political activism. I pay for a service, not AFAscist activism.

[notasheep]

On Spotify, I support music and artists, not political agendas. I do not want my money from my subscription or any revenue from streams to go to any political movement, regardless of whether I support that movement. I will not hesitate to cancel my subscription.

[Harrymay]

DevilEars your ideas about impartiality are just madness. Every company, organisation, and person has motives and biases. By saying you want an apolitical service all you are saying is that you want to uphold the status quo. Your ideal 'apolitical' service is in fact exacerbating structural racism if it does not engage with the movement: a very political act.

[DevilEars]

Harrymay:
My ideas about political impartiality seems to have served everyone better than the current notion of 'social responsibility'. Your notion that I support the status quo is self-contradictory: The status quo is very much one were corporations leave professional conduct at the door, and get involved in social causes. Am I mad? I will consult with a psychologist in that case. I will not accept that my money is going to get spent on political causes, whether I am mad or not. Already cancelled my Spotify subscription, and eventually the status quo will run out of mad people's money because fortunately, I am not the only one suffering from this madness whereby I am not interested in politics when I buy ice cream, sports goods, stream my favourite tunes... the list goes on. The vast majority of people agree with me, but maybe that's just me talking to myself, suffering from madness and all. Also the vast majority of people do not appreciate their business or home being invaded and ransacked, and then having someone tell them that they have no choice but to be a part of either the problem, or the solution. Hogwash. We have a choice not to be involved, we no longer care for hearing about the supposed problem due to the conduct of those pointing out the supposed problems, and people who suffer from the delusion that they have the right to get us involved in their solution, or blame us for the problem, are the ones suffering from madness.

[ampfluger]

Please no.  Spotify, please stick to music and your product, support musicians and keep the focus on providing a great music listening platform.  Taking a stance on these issues will just alienate people.  Be part of the solution by not spending unnecessarily on these kinds of things and keeping prices down so people can decide where to donate their own money.  

[Tazmosis]

Why is being anti racism political? It’s about humanity - yes it’s been politicised by political parties but it is fundamentally about humanity. 

You have my full support Spotify - I’m a paying member since 2014.