In January 2019, Variety and Billboard reported that Sony Music and R. Kelly had parted ways amid renewed scrutiny following the documentary Surviving R. Kelly and longstanding allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The distinction matters: an artist’s relationship with a label, the ownership or administration of existing recordings, and the availability of a catalogue on streaming services are separate issues. A reported split did not by itself mean the recordings disappeared from distribution.
The ” I Believe I Can Fly ” singer has been signed to RCA in 2012, but according to report by Billboard, reported that he was previously under contract to Jive since the early 1990s.
Various allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against Kelly for the better part of two decades, but he has never been convicted of a crime.
In May last year Spotify took action on ‘hateful’ content and conduct on its platform, with R. Kelly named as one of the first artists to be affected by the changes which saw his music removed from all playlists on the platform.
R. Kelly’s profitable recording catalog will continue to be distributed by RCA/Sony, and his music is still available on all digital retailers and streaming services.