On September 18, trip-hop duo Massive Attack announced that they would be removing all their music from Spotify. They become the latest, and first group signed to a major label, in a growing movement of artists boycotting the platform following the cofounder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek’s investment of €600 million into Helsing, a German company that uses AI software to inform military decisions. Ek’s company, Prima Materia, first invested $100 million in the initial startup funding phase in 2021. Since then, the firm has expanded into manufacturing submarines, aircraft, and attack drones for warfare, fast becoming one of Europe’s most valuable tech ventures as European powers increase their interests in defence amid escalating political volatility caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This decision sparked anti-war protests, with experimental rock band Xiu Xiu becoming the first to pull their music from the platform on the 24th of July, followed by many more including genre-defying, cult-favourite Australian band, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who removed the entirety of their extensive catalogue totalling 27 studio albums as well as many miscellaneous releases and American band Deerhoof stating “we don’t want our music killing people,” encouraging fans to boycott the company too. Going one step further, post-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor removed their music from all major streaming services, making it exclusive to Bandcamp.
Since its launch in 2008, Spotify has grown exponentially to dominate the music and audio streaming industry, boasting a user base of 696 million people, 276 million of whom are paying subscribers. Ek, who holds a current worth of $10 billion, responded to the criticism, stating, “Personally, I’m not concerned about it.”
This is not the first instance of an artist’s boycott. In 2022, legendary ’70s singer-songwriter Neil Young pulled his discography from the platform in protest of the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, which has received a $250 million renewal investment as a Spotify-exclusive, followed by contemporaries Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash. Allegedly the most listened to podcast in the world, over 270 medical professionals warned against anti-vax conspiracy misinformation being spread by the show during the Covid-19 pandemic. The artists returned following the spread of the podcast to competitor streaming companies, with Young declaring, “I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all.”
In January, Spotify caused further controversy, hosting the official brunch for Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, in a celebration of “the power of podcasts in the election,” as well as donating $150,000 towards the ceremony. The platform denied political endorsement, claiming a ‘business as usual’ stance of neutrality, that such events are organised for prominent political figures regardless of ideology. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos each donated $1 million to the event.
The platform has also come under fire in the past for its low payout system for artists, as noted by both Massive Attack, “the economic burden that has long been placed on artists is now compounded by a moral and ethical burden,” and Deerhoof, ‘Spotify only pays a pittance anyway’ in their statements of musical withdrawal this year. In 2024, Spotify announced that tracks receiving fewer than 1,000 streams a year would no longer be eligible for royalty payments, affecting over two-thirds of recordings. Those who qualify reportedly receive a pitiful $0.003 per stream, with competitor Apple Music paying triple in comparison at $0.01 per stream.
Whilst to some, this protest may appear meagre or insignificant, at its core, it represents a collective of artists who are steadfast in their ethics despite the likelihood of declining reach and negative financial repercussions. Furthermore, it just may be the catalyst required for a chain reaction of more widespread action. Alternative streaming services provided by multinational conglomerates with innumerable ethical concerns Apple and Amazon, may not provide the most attractive of alternatives but, to quote Theodor Adorno, “Wrong life cannot be lived rightly,” and in this case the ‘lesser of two evils’ principle may be most effective approach to streaming music and, where possible, buying physical music is the best way to support independent artists.
“Life at Spotify” by Michael Fötsch is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.