Spotify has removed singer R Kelly's music from all of its playlists under a new hateful conduct policy.

The music-streaming service said it will not "actively promote" artists whose behaviour does not "reflect our values".

The American artist has been accused of sexual misconduct and assault by a string of women, all of which he has denied.

On Thursday Spotify announced it would no longer promote Kelly's music, thought to be the first artist to fall under its new policy.

While his music will still be available on the service, it will be removed from Spotify's curated playlists and playlists that use algorithms to recommend artists based on previous selections.

"We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions - what we choose to program - to reflect our values," Spotify told website Billboard.

"When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator."