Veteran indie band Deerhoof has announced that the band is “tendering their resignation from Spotify,” removing their entire music catalog from that streaming service not because of the low royalties paid by all music-streaming platforms, but because of co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek leading a $700 million investment round in the European defense technology company Helsing, which specializes in AI defense software but also builds drones and software for fighter aircraft, via his venture-capital firm.
The band, which formed in 1994 and has released 20 albums, announced its move in a statement on social media. While the band members concede that their music generates a relatively small amount of revenue on the platform, they say their move is based on principle.
“We’re taking Deerhoof off Spotify,” it reads in part. “ ‘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.
“AI battle tech is clearly emerging as the hot new big ticket item for the super-rich. It’s increasingly clear that the military and police exist primarily as the security detail for the billionaire class. The more of the killing you can get computers to do, the better your bottom line.
“Computerized targeting, computerized extermination, computerized destabilization for profit, successfully tested on the people of Gaza, also finally solves the perennial inconvenience to war-makers–It takes human compassion and morality out of the equation.”
However, as the statement proceeds, it becomes clear that Spotify’s general behavior as a company is also a reason for the band’s departure.
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“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 continues. “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.”
The band’s label, Joyful Noise, issued a statement supporting the move, saying in part, “As a label, we too are sickened by the fact that our releases have inadvertently contributed to the global war machine. Since the dawn of streaming, independent artists and labels have essentially been forced to participate alongside various streaming entities in order to survive, entities that are often funded by sources that do not align with our values. As an independent record label, we serve the artist. It is ultimately their decision to present their material on whichever platforms they choose. However, we encourage any true music lover to buy directly from artists or the label as much as possible.”
Deerhoof’s statement continues, “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.
“The big picture is this: Our politico-economic system increasingly presents humanity with a hideous fait accompli: Buy from me, vote for me, consume my media, use my service. Yes, it means mass deportation, mass detainment, and mass extermination of those deemed unprofitable by a handful of rich white people living in enclaves protected by AI weaponry. But if you don’t, you cannot have a job. We think this dilemma is coming to a head soon, and we predict that most people aren’t going to take the billionaires’ side.
“We aren’t sure exactly how soon the takedowns can happen,” the statement concludes, “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.”
From Variety US