Tag: Crisis

Spotify Extends Existing Partnership With UNICEF and Donates to UNICEF’s Global Emergency Fund

October 18, 2023

Spotify is deeply saddened by the recent terrorist attacks in Israel and troubled by the growing catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Our hearts are with all of the people caught in the conflict. We acknowledge the important work of UNICEF and its partners, who are doing all they can to help the most affected children and their families.

In June, Spotify announced our three-year partnership with UNICEF to help ensure that young people, including refugees, displaced people, and migrants, can access evidence-based and engaging mental health audio content on Spotify. The initial partnership was focused on helping young people affected by the war in Ukraine, with a long-term goal to extend our work globally both in and outside of times of emergency. 

We are extending this partnership for another two years to continue supporting UNICEF in reaching children and young people exposed to conflict and natural disasters by providing them with tools to promote mental health and well-being.

Spotify is also making a donation to UNICEF’s Global Emergency Fund to help UNICEF and its partners provide immediate humanitarian support—including medical supplies, fuel, mental health—and psychosocial support in response to the conflict.

Finally, we’re matching employee donations to support additional funds for UNICEF’s global humanitarian efforts. We hope that those in harm’s way find peace and safety soon.

Spotify Mobilizes Fans, Artists, and Our ‘Music For Ukraine’ Playlist Ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day

August 18, 2022

Last winter, the global community compassionately came together to aid those most harmed by Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. At that time, Spotify also committed to using the power of our platform to support people who have been most impacted. Now, six months into this war, Spotify is rebranding our Music of Ukraine playlist as UNITED24: Music For Ukraine and creating a new way to support the country and its people. 

We’re relaunching with a special video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in advance of Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24. The playlist features music from Ukrainian artists, in addition to other artists around the world who have pledged support to Ukraine. Even after Independence Day, the playlist will continue to be updated to help share the voices of Ukraine with the world. 

In his message, President Zelenskyy expresses his gratitude towards music fans and encourages the listening and sharing of Ukrainian music around the world. He also welcomes everyone to support UNITED24, which is why we’re continuing to mobilize our Fan Support feature by adding a donation link to the top of the UNITED24: Music For Ukraine playlist. This link will help raise funds for UNITED24, the official fundraising platform of Ukraine launched by President Zelenskyy. 

 

Looking for ways beyond a symbolic and meaningful $24 donation to show your support? Artists also have the ability to change the image on their Spotify profiles to support Ukraine. Review these best practices for more details on how Fan Support works, and visit our help center for more on how to select yours. Finally, our global guide on the Spotify platform, the Source for News & Info, provides our users around the world with trusted news and information related to the ongoing conflict.

As always, we hope this war comes to an end very soon and that peace is restored to Ukraine and its people. 

Listen to the rebranded playlist below. 

Leveraging the Power of Our Platform to Support Ukrainian Refugees

April 28, 2022

Over the past two months, unprovoked attacks have continued across Ukraine. The subsequent devastation has affected millions of individuals who have fled their homes in search of safety for themselves and their families. Throughout this time, the global community has sought ways to aid Ukrainian refugees and help them find necessary safety, shelter, resources, and peace. 

Spotify aims to use the power of our platform to further assist in this endeavor. We also know that those in our worldwide network of artists, podcasters, and listeners have been looking for ways to help those affected by war, as have our employees. So, we have taken part in several initiatives to start lending a hand, and we aim to continue this vital work as long as the crisis persists.  

Working with UNICEF

Starting today, Spotify and UNICEF are embarking on a multiyear partnership that will explore innovative ways to use digital media and the power of music and audio to support the mental health and well-being of children, young people, and their caregivers, including those affected by war. 

Together, we’ll also explore ways in which these innovative approaches can alleviate the mental health distress of Ukrainian children and refugees and promote their psychosocial well-being in the long term. Over the course of our collaboration, we will also provide financial support to UNICEF as their partner in this vital work. 

Tech for Refugees

Earlier today, we announced our participation in a new initiative called Tech for Refugees. As a part of this initiative, Spotify Premium will be offered to Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war at no cost. We believe that our platform plays a critical role in providing our users around the world with trusted news and in the beginning of the crisis launched The Source for News and Info on the Spotify platform to do just that. 

We also know how connected music is to memory, healing, and hope. Through Spotify Premium, we can help ensure that Ukrainians have access to both vital information and the music that soothes them wherever they are throughout this time.

It is an understatement to say that we hope this war comes to an end very soon and that peace is restored to Ukraine and the millions of refugees. Until then, we will continue to work with our partners, and on behalf of our employees, creators, and listeners, to use the power of our platform to aid and assist Ukrainians in the many ways we can.

Spotify’s Statement in Response to the War in Ukraine

March 2, 2022

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever.

In response to the crisis, we have taken several steps. We have closed our office in Russia indefinitely and we are providing individual support to our people in the region as well as our global community of Ukrainian employees.

Our team has reviewed thousands of pieces of content since the start of the war, and has restricted the discoverability of shows owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media. Earlier this week, we also took the additional step of removing all RT and Sputnik content from Spotify in the EU and other markets. Today, we launched a global guide on the Spotify platform to provide our users around the world with trusted news. We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information.

Our employees around the world are committed to helping people affected by the war in Ukraine and we are matching their donations two to one to support local humanitarian efforts. We are exploring additional steps that we can take and will continue to do what is in the best interest of our employees and our listeners.

*Update as of March 4, 2022: As devastating events continue to unfold in Ukraine, the global community of artists and listeners have been looking for ways to help those affected by war. So, we are mobilizing our Artist Fundraising Pick feature in Spotify for Artists to be used to help raise funds for the effort. This feature allows our community to seamlessly contribute by allowing artists to select a fundraising destination to place at the top of their Spotify profile to then collect donations from listeners. Artists will also have the ability to change their artist image on their Spotify profile to support Ukraine. Read more about this feature on Spotify for Artists. 

*Update as of March 25, 2022: Spotify has continued to believe that it’s critically important to try and keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region. Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk. After carefully considering our options and the current circumstances, we have come to the difficult decision to fully suspend our service in Russia.

*Update as of April 7, 2022: Spotify will fully suspend our service in Russia on April 11th.