Spotify has halted streaming in Russia due to security concerns.

 

Political conditions in Russia forces Spotify stop streaming.

Following passage of the legislation, Bloomberg, many companies had announced plans earlier this month to suspend reporting from the Russia.

Photo from Pixabay

Spotify has announced its exit from Russia, citing a new rule that threatens jail time for propagating "fake news" about the country's military.

The music streaming service said it had suspended its free service due to fears about the safety of its employees and "perhaps even our fans."

In March, Spotify closed its office in Russia.

However, it stated that it wished to maintain its service operations in order to deliver "independent news" to the country.

Spotify said in a statement that it "has continued to feel that it is essentially necessary to strive to keep our service operational in Russia in order to provide credible, independent news and information from the region."

"Unfortunately, recently implemented laws restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing some forms of news puts Spotify's employees' safety, as well as the safety of our listeners, in jeopardy."

Spotify is well known for its music streaming network, which began in Russia in 2020. However, as part of its economic strategy, it has aggressively gone into podcasting, with a large library of news and current affairs broadcasts.

It has been unable to sell its premium memberships in Ukraine since the conflict began due to payment provider restrictions imposed as a result of international sanctions.

This latest move adds it to a list of hundreds of global firms that have exited or scaled back operations in the country, including BP, McDonald's and Netflix.

News source:

(2022, March 26). Spotify stops streaming in Russia over safety concerns. BBC News Retrieved March 27, 2022 from https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/what-if-inflation-stays-high-business-leaders-nabe-survey-rcna20940