While Spotify users worm their way through a maze of AI-generated slop, the streaming giant's executives are dealing with an exodus of musicians after CEO Daniel Ek was working on a massive investment into an AI military weapons firm.
Through his tech investment company, Prima Materia, Ek led a $690 million funding round into Helsing, a German drone and AI weapons tech company, as reported by the Financial Times. Four years earlier, Ek — who also holds a position as Chairman of Helsing — led the German company's initial funding round, worth just under $114 million.
Thanks to Ek's substantial backing, Helsing has grown into a firm valued at over $13.5 billion. In just a few short years, the weapons company has produced such freedom enhancers as loitering munitions, weaponized quadcopters, underwater surveillance drones, and autonomous fighter jets.
The investment might be welcome news to the rapidly growing European weapons industry, but it went over like a lead balloon with musicians on Spotify, who began leaving the music platform in droves. Many of them took to social media to explain their decision to fans.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, a prolific Australian rock band with over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, announced the release of a demo collection alongside their departure.
"New demos collection out everywhere except Spotify (f**k Spotify)," the band wrote. "You can bootleg if you wanna."
They took further aim at the company in an Instagram story. "A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI military drone technology," the group posted on July 25. "We just removed our music from the platform. Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better? Join us on another platform.”
After King Gizzard's bombshell decision, many fellow artists followed suit.
"We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole armageddon portal Spotify," wrote Xiu Xiu, an American experimental rock band. "For all the reasons you already know — PLEASE CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WITH SPOTIFY."
San Francisco-based indie-rock group Deerhoof posted an extensive explanation on Instagram, calling on fellow culture workers to "take a stand on the important issues facing humanity." The band took aim at Spotify's extractive business model, the weaponization of Europe, Ek's massive wealth, as well as the billionaire CEO's union-busting efforts.
"The current trend of Big Tech oligarchs taking increasing control over human affairs and attention, in which Ek has played a major role, is profoundly anti-democratic," Deerhoof wrote. "We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech."
Other artists boycotting the platform include folk singer Leah Senior, indie band Dr Sure's Unusual Practice, songwriter Nicholas Allbrook, and the Belgium record company Kalahari Oyster Cult label.
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