Spotify faces boycott calls over CEO’s investment in AI military startup
Spotify, the world’s leading music streaming platform, is facing intense criticism and boycott calls following CEO Daniel Ek’s announcement of a €600m ($702m) investment in Helsing, a German defence startup specialising in AI-powered combat drones and military software.
The move, announced on 17 June, has sparked widespread outrage from musicians, activists and social media users who accuse Ek of funnelling profits from music streaming into the military industry.
Many have started calling on users to cancel their subscriptions to the service.
“Finally cancelling my Spotify subscription – why am I paying for a fuckass app that works worse than it did 10 years ago, while their CEO spends all my money on technofascist military fantasies?” said one user on X.
On Reddit, a user wrote: "When tech is weaponized, our subscriptions become bullets. Spotify’s hands aren’t clean – boycott the silence, boycott the blood. No art should fund destruction."
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
This isn't the first time Spotify has faced boycott calls over Ek's invesment in Helsing.
In 2021, many users and artists called for a similar boycott after Ek announced a €100m investment in the company.
Middle East Eye contacted Spotify and Ek for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Many users drew attention to Spotify's payment system, which has been criticised for years – by both major pop stars and independent and emerging artists and labels – due to its royalty rates.
Many users expressed frustration that Spotify's CEO was pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into warfare technology while continuing to pay artists notoriously low royalties.
The United Musicians and Allied Workers, a union of musicians who have organised and demonstrated for better royalties at Spotify, called Ek "a warmonger who pays artists poverty wages".
"The people running our music industry are the same people 'doubling down' on AI military technology. To build a fair and just music industry, we also must dismantle imperialism in all its forms," the union said in a statement on X.
Another user said: "Your streams are paying for military drones, while artists starve. This is evil. Ek cashing in on public stock value (which artists see none of) and reinvesting his profits in murder machines."
Singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn addressed the issue in an Instagram video, stating: “For as long as they’ve existed, [Spotify] have grossly underpaid musicians, but the money they’ve been making from subscriptions has been lining their pockets, and now we know where it’s gone.”
She urged artists and listeners to cancel their subscriptions, saying: “Your labour, your money has gone directly to fund the war machine.”
As the backlash grows, many said they are turning to alternative streaming platforms and urged others to support artists directly as a form of boycott.
"Stop using Spotify. It sounds like they treat artists like shit, and this guy [Ek] is obviously another wannabe tech-broligarch trying to make big bucks off keeping shitheads in power," said one Reddit user.
"Defund the broligarchy! Buy music from artists on Bandcamp or use a lesser evil like Tidal.”
Another user on X agreed.
"Officially switched back to tidal for music streaming. spotify bought a military ai company for $690m while still paying jack shit to artists and my pennies aren't going towards that anymore once and for all."
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
