king gizzard and the lizard wizard
19:15 Monday, 28 July 2025
Spotify is facing mounting backlash — not over payouts, but over basic ethical questions about killing people. In a bold and explicit move, Australian psych-rock powerhouses King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have become the most prominent artists yet to remove their music from the streaming platform, citing Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's financial ties to a military AI company as the reason.
The protest follows revelations that Ek — through his venture capital firm Prima Materia — has invested hundreds of millions into Helsing, a German startup that develops AI-based defense technology. Not only is Ek backing the company financially, he's also its chairman. Helsing's mission is supplying real-time battlefield decision-making software and manufacturing military drones, placing it squarely in the controversial arena of automated warfare.
King Gizzard didn't mince words in their announcement. Promoting their new demos collection, the band noted it would be available "everywhere except Spotify," ending the post with a sharp "fuck Spotify." They later took to Instagram Stories to elaborate, writing: "A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI military drone technology. 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."
Their move follows a quieter but equally pointed departure from Deerhoof (and Xiu Xiu), the long-running experimental indie group based in California. Earlier this year, they pulled their catalog from Spotify, sharing a lengthy explanation on Instagram. "'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," wrote Deerhoof. "We don't want our music killing people. We don't want our success being tied to AI battle tech."
These artist-led actions have ignited a growing ethical conversation around the intersection of tech, profit, and war, raising the question: should creators be complicit in platforms whose leadership directly funds tools of modern warfare? The answer should be a pretty resounding "fucking no."
Spotify has long been criticized for its royalty structures and business practices, but this protest marks a shift in tone — from economic grievances to moral outcry. Whether this signals the beginning of a larger movement remains to be seen, but here's hoping it is.
