Deerhoof Leave Spotify
U.S. art-rock powerhouses Deerhoof have removed their complete back catalogue from Spotify in protest over Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s $694 million investment in defence startup Helsing.
An extract from the band’s statement reads:
We’re taking Deerhoof off Spotify.
“Daniel Ek uses $700 million of his Spotify fortune to become chairman of AI battle tech company” was not a headline we enjoyed reading this week. We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.
We are privileged that it was a pretty easy decision for us. Spotify only pays a pittance anyway, and we earn a lot more from touring. But we also understand that other artists and labels do rely on Spotify for a bigger chunk of their income, and don’t judge those who can’t make the same move in the short term.
…
Spotify is flushing itself down the toilet. Eventually artists will want to leave this already widely hated data-mining scam masquerading as a “music company.” It’s creepy for users and crappy for artists. Music-making lasts forever but this or that digital get-rich-quick scheme is sure to become obsolete.
One of the claims often made about Spotify is that it theoretically makes one’s music discoverable by anyone who signs up, no matter how remote they may be from the self-proclaimed centers of hipness. But just because someone is far from Western gatekeepers does not mean they lack culture, or need to hear our band. Deerhoof is a small mom and pop operation, and know when enough is enough. We aren’t capitalists, and don’t wish to take over the world. Especially if the price of “discoverability” is letting oligarchs fill the globe with computerized weaponry, we’re going to pass on the supposed benefits.
Deerhoof
I tend to keep thegmanworld.com and opinion pieces separate but if you are interested in my thoughts, feel free to visit https://thegmanworld.substack.com/p/deerhoof-vs-spotify-why-deerhoof.
Read the full statement via the Deerhoof Instagram.
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