Deerhoof have said they are removing their music from streaming platform Spotify.
Announcing their intention, the band explained that they had reached their decision as a mark of protest of Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek’s ongoing investments in miltary technology.
“‘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 said in a statement shared online. “We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.”
In addition to being the the co-founder and chief executive of Spotify, Ek is the founder of an investment fund called Prima Materia, which recently reportedly led a new round of investment in Helsing, a defence company that sells software that uses artificial intelligence to support the actions of different nations’ militaries. Prima Materia has been investing in Helsing since 2021, and the defence company currently operates in the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
Deerhoof also criticised Spotify’s treatment of artists and questioned its status as a platform for music discovery. “Spotify is flushing itself down the toilet,” the band said. “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.”
The band continued: “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 computerised weaponry, we’re going to pass on the supposed benefits.”
Concluding their statement, Deerhoof said: “We 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 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.”
Joyful Noise Recordings, the label which has put out a number of Deerhoof’s releases, shared its own supportive statement, which read: “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. It is with this in mind that we hold no judgement towards any artist that wishes to keep their music on the platform.”
