Photo Credit: Deerhoof
Indie rock band Deerhoof announces removing their music from Spotify in light of CEO Daniel Ek’s military investments.
San Francisco-based indie rock group Deerhoof will be removing their music from Spotify. The band made the announcement on their website and social media. News of their decision comes on the heels of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment fund, Prima Materia, leading the latest round of investment in Helsing, a defense company that sells AI software to inform military decisions.
“‘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,” the band wrote. “We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.”
In addition to their opposition to Ek’s investments, Deerhoof harshly criticized Spotify’s status as a music discovery platform and its utility for artists. “Spotify is flushing itself down the toilet,” the band continued. “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,” Deerhoof’s statement reads.
“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.”
Joyful Noise Recordings, the label behind much of Deerhoof’s catalog, shared a statement on social media in support of the band’s decision to pull their music from Spotify.
“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,” wrote the label.
“As an independent record label, we serve the artist. It is ultimately their decision to present their material on whichever platforms they choose. It is with this in mind that we hold no judgement towards any artist that wishes to keep their music on the platform,” the label continued.
“However, we encourage any true music lover to buy directly from artists or the label as much as possible. This ensures financial sustainability for the artist and independent label community that supports them.”
The move puts Deerhoof alongside greats like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Indie.Arie, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. All of these artists have pulled their music from Spotify in recent years. Young pulled his catalog from Spotify in 2022 in opposition to the platform’s then-exclusivity deal with Joe Rogan, and several artists joined him in protest.
Young and Mitchell returned their music to the platform in 2024 after Rogan’s exclusivity deal with Spotify ended. Nash’s music returned to Spotify after only a few months, while Indie.Arie returned to the platform in 2023.
Music Apps, Music Industry News, Music Streaming, Pop Culture, Spotify News
This post was originally authored and published by Ashley King Digital Music News via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
