Radio station drops Ed Sheeran music after listener feedback on Macklemore row

Ed Sheeran’s music has been dropped by an Irish radio station (Ian West/PA)

An Irish radio station has dropped Ed Sheeran’s music after “the reaction from our listeners” to the decision to remove Macklemore from his tour over comments the rapper made about Gaza.

All of the current support acts on Sheeran’s Loop tour have dropped out of the remaining dates following the decision, after Macklemore said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten during a show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Classic Hits Radio said it had made the decision to remove the Galway Girl singer’s music for the “foreseeable future” after feedback over the incident.

Dave Kelly, group programme director at Bay Broadcasting, which runs the station, said: “Our decision to remove Ed Sheeran’s music from the Classic Hits Radio playlist has been carefully considered.

“It is not intended as a personal judgment on Ed Sheeran, and we acknowledge his own explanation of the circumstances surrounding recent events.

“As an independent Irish-owned radio station, however, we believe it is important to listen to our audience and to stand alongside Irish artists who have made what is undoubtedly a significant professional decision based on their own convictions.

“Ultimately, our position is a simple one. We believe in peace, humanity and respect, and in the right of people and artists to express and act upon their sincerely held views.

“In light of the strength of feeling expressed by our listeners and the decisions taken by Irish artists involved in the tour, we believe removing Ed Sheeran’s music from our playlist is the appropriate decision for Classic Hits Radio at this time.”

The station said the decision to drop the British singer’s music would remain “under review”.

Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, as well as Sheeran’s backing band Beoga, all shared messages of support for Macklemore as they pulled out.

The rapper has now donated his one million-dollar tour net earnings to charities supporting Palestinian people, and challenged Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who reportedly called for his removal from the tour, to match his donation.

He said in a post on Instagram: “With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.

“I will be donating the entire one million (dollars) of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working directly to support the Palestinian people.”

Addressing Kraft, he added that “whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this, Palestinian lives are worth protecting, a Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth”.

The businessman has since responded saying Sheeran had asked him to match his two million-dollar donation before Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, announced his pledge.

Kraft said in a statement on Instagram: “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.

“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit two million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.

“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.

“In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs and forge relationships.”

On Tuesday, Sheeran said on social media that Macklemore’s departure from the tour was the promoter’s decision and not his, after a petition was launched to get the Thrift Shop rapper removed.

He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added that Kraft, whose Gillette Stadium will host gigs on Oasis’s Live 27 tour, was among them.

Sheeran added: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.”

The Shape Of You singer said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.

In a previous statement shared by Kraft, the businessman said his decision to ban the US rapper following his comments on stage were down to a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.

Sheeran’s next performance is scheduled for September 19 at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Graham and Rowe had been due to open for him.

He has 17 dates still left on the tour across North and South America, with the final show scheduled for December 11 in Mexico City.