Photo by Amar Preciado
Prominent Australian psychedelic band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have begun removing their catalogue from Spotify in protest against the platform’s CEO, Daniel Ek, following revelations of his investments in companies developing artificial intelligence for military applications. The move comes amid growing criticism within the music community regarding the streaming service’s business practices and broader ethical implications.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, frontman Stu Mackenzie described his reaction upon learning of Ek’s financial stake in Helsing, a European defence firm specializing in AI-driven software used in military decision-making. “It was a bit of a shock,” he said, “and then the feeling that I shouldn’t be shocked.” He noted that opposition to Spotify is longstanding among artists, adding: “In our circle of musician friends, [fuck Spotify] is what people say all the time, for all of these other reasons which are well documented.”
While acknowledging the symbolic nature of the decision, Mackenzie expressed ambivalence over reducing fans’ access to the band’s work. “I want our music to be accessible to people,” he said. “I don’t really care about making money from streaming. I know it’s unfair, and I know they are banking so much. But for me personally, I just want to make music, and I want people to be able to listen to it. The hard part was to take that away from so many people.”
“But sometimes you’ve just got to say, ‘Well, sorry, we’re not going to be here right now’,” he continued.
See also
Asked whether he expects the action to influence Ek or the platform directly, Mackenzie was candid: “I don’t expect Daniel Ek to pay attention to this. We’ve made a lot of experimental moves with the way we’ve released records — bootlegging stuff for free. We’ve allowed ourselves a license to break conventions, and the people who listen to our music have a trust and a faith to go along on this ride together. It actually feels like we’re just trying to find our own positivity in a dark situation.”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are not alone in their protest. Experimental rock bands Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu have also withdrawn their music from Spotify in recent weeks. In a message to fans, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart described the platform as a “garbage hole violent armageddon portal,” underscoring the intensifying wave of backlash from independent artists.
