Daniel Ek, known to most as the CEO of Spotify, is also a chairman of Helsing, a German defense tech company that’s been developing A.I. software for the purpose of enhancing military weapons. In their recent funding period, Helsing reportedly raised $700 million, thanks to an investment from Elk and his venture capitalist firm, Prima Materia. For the prolific, Bay Area-bred rock band Deerhoof, whose new album Noble and Godlike in Ruin is very good, enough is enough. They’ve chosen to remove their catalog from Spotify, including all 20 studio albums and every release in-between.
Here is the band’s full statement:
“We’re taking Deerhoof off Spotify.
“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.
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.
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, 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.”
On Instagram, the band captioned their announcement: “We’re honored to be able to soften the blow of quitting Spotify by announcing our upcoming corporate partnership with @doordash. We’ve searched high and low for just the right multinational conglomerate to shepherd us through today’s threats to centrism, and provide particles of food every one of which is like a piece of gold. We believe in their profit-driven values and “screw-the-worker” vision, as they do ours.”
And Joyful Noise, Deerhoof’s current label, has issued a statement in support of the band:
“Joyful Noise supports Deerhoof in their decision to pull their catalog from Spotify.
Last week Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, invested a sizable chunk of his Spotify fortune to fund the AI warfare company Helsing, of which he is also now the chairman. 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. It is with this in mind that we hold no judgement towards any artist that wishes to keep their music on the platform.
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.”
