Yandex Music erased more than 1500 items within a five-month span.
Rewritten Article:
Here's a lowdown on what happened with Yandex Music between November 2024 and March 2025. Over these five months, they yanked 1,576 content pieces from their platform following orders from government agencies. This tiny fraction, approximately 0.00002% of their entire streaming catalog, was documented in a transparency report by RBC.
During this period, Yandex Music received 106 requests for content removal, specifically targeting 142 links. These requests covered a wide range of materials, such as songs, music videos, podcast episodes, and even album covers.
The primary reasons behind this content purge were materials that could potentially stir up trouble in the Russian Federation's socio-political climate. Materials that involved pornographic descriptions of minors or defended such actions were also among those removed.
These removed materials also included content deemed as LGBT propaganda, information about methods of producing, consuming, or acquiring drugs, and guides on suicide.
Notably, age restrictions were imposed on 8,911 materials on the platform during the first half of 2024. Moreover, 36,877 tracks and podcast episodes were given age markings, and 890 songs and audio show series were omitted from recommendations due to potentially unsettling content.
Related TidbitsWhile digging into this topic, it's essential to understand that Yandex Music is more than just a music streaming service. It offers a variety of audiobooks, podcasts, and features like personalized music streams ("My Vibe") and offline listening capabilities[1][2]. However, the specifics about content removals or issues flagged by Russian authorities during the mentioned period are scant due to the limited data available.
If you're keen on learning more about content removals or specific types of flagged content, it's advisable to look into official Yandex Music statements, news articles, or legal documents from the period in question. Additionally, details about Russian authorities' content regulation policies might be available in official government communications or reports.
If you're hunting for information on content removal due to legal or regulatory issues, delving into relevant legal documents or news articles from the time period that discuss content moderation policies in Russia could provide some insights.
- The removal of content from Yandex Music during the period from November 2024 to March 2025 was primarily due to materials that could potentially instigate social-political unrest in the Russian Federation.
- Alongside songs and music videos, the purge also included podcast episodes, album covers, and even information about LGBT propaganda, methods of producing or consuming drugs, and guides on suicide.
- Yandex Music, which offers more than just music streaming with services like audiobooks and personalized music streams, experienced a significant shift in entertainment and general-news content due to government orders during this time.
