After the tragic events of the Astroworld festival, most would expect Travis Scott to lay low. However, many Spotify users were surprised to see that the music streaming service was highlighting Scott.
Scott Appears on Playlist Covers and Promotion Sections
The rapper’s picture appears as the cover on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, which some see as insensitive. It looks like they’re using the rapper’s controversy as a way to gain listeners for their playlist.
Spotify promoting Scott’s latest single “Escape Plan.” The song’s title and cover art, also seems inappropriate, considering what happened to Scott’s fans. Obviously, he couldn’t have known what would happen, but Spotify users are questioning why the streaming platform would choose to push the single right now.
The Astroworld Tragedy
Last weekend, eight people were killed and hundreds more were injured at Scott’s Astroworld festival after crowd surges crushed many in the audience. Others were injured earlier in the day after people stormed the VIP section, trampling others as they pushed down a fence in their hurry to get to the stage.
The artist and the concert organizers have come under fire for not stopping the show as soon as they knew people were getting hurt. The show was deemed a “mass casualty event” just 30 minutes into Scott’s set, but the rapper completed the show, even as ambulances tried to drive through the crowd.
Questionable Response From Scott
The rapper is also being accused of not responding to the event suitably. He posted an apology on Instagram and has pledged to pay for the funerals of those who died at the show, but for many, it’s too little, too late.
Scott has been slammed before for stirring his audiences up, encouraging them to rush past security and jump off balconies. People have been trampled and injured; one man was even paralyzed after he was pushed off a balcony by a restless crowd.
Even though the horrors of the Astroworld show couldn’t have been predicted, it’s in poor taste for Spotify to use Scott’s image as a promotional tool for their playlists, and to push his new music right now.