Experimental indie rockers Deerhoof are removing their entire catalog from Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s significant investment in a military technology company.
The band, which has released 20 albums since their 1997 debut, announced they’re cutting ties with the streaming platform following Ek’s $700 million investment in Helsing, a German company specializing in AI military software. Ek has also become chairman of the weapons tech firm, as per musicradar.
“We don’t want our music killing people,” Deerhoof said in a statement released earlier this week. “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 success being tied to AI battle tech.”
The decision means the San Francisco band’s latest release, “Noble and Godlike in Ruin,” which dropped in April, will no longer be available to stream on the platform, along with their extensive back catalog, the report said.
The band also acknowledged that while the financial impact on them would be minimal, the decision might be harder for other artists
“Spotify only pays a pittance anyway, and we earn a lot more from touring,” they said. “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.”
This move comes amid ongoing criticism that Spotify fails to adequately compensate artists while Ek, who’s worth an estimated $10.3 billion, profits significantly more than the musicians hosted on his platform, according to the outlet.
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