Ukrainian musicians urge streaming services to allow political messaging on their platforms in response to Russian invasion

completemusicupdate.com:

Members of the Ukrainian music community yesterday called on Apple Music and Spotify to allow artists to include political messaging in their artwork on the streaming platforms in response to Russia’s invasion of their country.As the Russian army continues and escalates its military assault on Ukraine, President Putin’s regime is pursing a prolific propaganda campaign within Russia in a bid to hide the motives for and scale of the invasion.

Ukrainian musicians want to pursue every possible way of informing Russian citizens about what is happening on the ground, including via the digital platforms that have an audience in Russia.

However, streaming services like Apple and Spotify have rules against political messaging.Kyiv-based promoter H2D posted a message to Instagram yesterday stating: “We appeal to the leaders of Apple Music and Spotify.

On 24 Feb, the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. Civilians are suffering, civilians’ homes, hospitals and orphanages are being destroyed”.“The Russian people do not have access to truthful information”, it went on. “The propaganda of the aggressor state turned out to be so strong that ordinary people in Russia still do not believe or refuse to believe what is happening.