Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
The music of Michael Jackson appears to have been taken off the airwaves in the UK, with BBC Radio 2 reportedly dropping the King of Pop in the wake of new child sex abuse claims.
For as long as radio stations have played music, the artists that they play have been representative of the public’s opinion of them.
In the recent months and years, we’ve seen the #MuteRKelly campaign not only result in the music of R. Kelly being taken off the airwaves thanks to radio DJs and streaming services, but also resulted in a new Spotify feature that allows users to block particular artists.
Likewise, the music of Lostprophets, XXXTentacion, and now even Ryan Adams appears to have been blacklisted by a number of retailers and radio stations around the world as allegations have been made against the artists.
Now, it seems that Michael Jackson has joined that list in the UK, with the controversial new documentary Leaving Neverland stirring up some debate about the iconic musician.
The documentary itself focuses around claims of child sex abuse made against Michael Jackson, giving particular attention to the allegations made by Jimmy Safechuck and Brisbane-born Wade Robson.
While Leaving Neverland is seeing its widespread release this week, it is bringing these new allegations of abuse into the spotlight, and as such, some media outlets are choosing to act accordingly.
Check out the trailer for Finding Neverland:
As The Times reports, the music of Michael Jackson has not been played on BBC Radio 2 since Saturday, February 23rd, with the decision to drop the artist from the station’s playlist reportedly being made shortly after.
Despite this, a spokesperson for BBC Radio 2 denied that this was the case, telling The Daily Mail that, “it is not true that Michael Jackson has been dropped off the Radio 2 playlist – which is new releases – as he hasn’t been featured on it.”
“We don’t ban songs or artists and Michael Jackson, like any other artist could, be played on BBC Radio,” they continued.
“As we have said, we consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind.”
With Leaving Neverland set to premiere this week, it remains to be seen whether or not Michael Jackson’s music will indeed return to the UK airwaves in the days or weeks following its airing.
In related news, the estate of Michael Jackson appears to be trying to distract fans from the documentary’s premiere, releasing some “limited time” concert films onto YouTube for streaming.
Check out Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’:
