Australian rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have become the latest act to withdraw their music from Spotify in protest over CEO Daniel Ek‘s investment in a defense company focused on AI-powered military drones.
In a statement posted on an Instagram story, King Gizzard said: “Hello friends. A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in Al military drone technology. We just removed our music from the platform. Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better? Join us on another platform.”
In a separate post on Instagram, the band said: “New demos collection out everywhere except Spotify (f*** Spotify). You can bootleg it if you wanna.”
King Gizzard joins a growing list of artists to cut ties with Spotify over Ek’s investment in European defense technology company Helsing, founded in 2021, which specializes in AI defense software but also makes drones like the HX2.
As MBW reported last month, Ek led a €600 million (USD $703m) series D for Helsing, which has also developed the ‘Centaur’ system that “integrates advanced AI pilots into the cockpits of existing and future fighter aircraft”.
“Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in Al military drone technology. We just removed our music from the platform. Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better?”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
The series D round was led by Ek via his investment vehicle Prima Materia, alongside existing investors Lightspeed Ventures, Accel, Plural, General Catalyst and SAAB and new investors BDT & MSD Partners. Helsing also named Ek as chairman.
In a statement following the investment, Sweden-born Ek said: “As Europe rapidly strengthens its defense capabilities in response to evolving geopolitical challenges, there is an urgent need for investments in advanced technologies that ensure its strategic autonomy and security readiness.”
In addition to King Gizzard, experimental rock band Xiu Xiu also announced plans to leave Spotify over Ek’s Helsing investment. The band wrote on Instagram: “Spotify uses music money to invest in AI war drones.”
They added: “We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole violent armageddon portal Spotify. It is taking longer than we had hoped due to procedurally complications but will be completed soon. Thanks for the support and patience. For all the reasons you already know – PLEASE CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WITH SPOTIFY.”
“Spotify uses music money to invest in AI war drones. We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole violent armageddon portal Spotify.”
Xiu Xiu
San Francisco-based Indie rock band Deerhoof started the wave of departures, writing on their website on June 30: “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.”
They added: “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.”
Deerhoof said they “aren’t sure exactly how soon the takedowns can happen, but it will be as soon as possible.”
“We want to thank our various labels for their support on this tricky decision. The grunt work of pulling content off of Spotify is something they’re now tasked with, and they are sharing the financial hit. We know we are asking them to make a sacrifice, and it means a lot to us.”
“We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech… Spotify only pays a pittance anyway, and we earn a lot more from touring.”
Deerhoof
Prior to these withdrawals, other artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills & Nash have also decided to pull their music from Spotify in recent years.
Young announced in January 2022 that he was pulling his music from the streaming platform over its hosting of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. However, in March 2024, Young’s music returned to Spotify now that the podcast is no longer exclusive to the platform.
Following Young’s return, Joni Mitchell’s music also reappeared on the platform two years after she removed her catalog from Spotify in protest of what Young and Mitchell perceived as the platform’s amplification of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
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