Dennis Lyxzén, singer in the hardcore band Refused, is very critical of the Swedish streaming service.
Spotify has been culture-hostile since day one. They have exploited musicians who had no choice and who then ended up in some kind of strange debt of gratitude. Then when Spotify makes money from it, Daniel Ek chooses to invest in the arms industry instead of in art and culture. I think it's despicable.
Lyxzén urges a boycott and is not alone. Recently, the indie band Xiu Xiu removed their music from Spotify due to CEO Daniel Ek and his company Prima Materia's investments in Helsing - a company that develops drones and AI for the military.
Bands like Deerhoof and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have also recently removed their music from Spotify for the same reason. The anger comes after a controversy over AI music and years of dissatisfaction with compensation.
Daniel Johansson is a music industry researcher at the university in Innlandet, Norway. He reminds us that the streaming economy is very young and says that the industry is "working hard on the issue of fair distribution models".
According to him, criticism of Spotify often comes from artists who have grown accustomed to an older economic model.
In many cases, it's about, if you want to be very blunt, that their artistry and music haven't really adapted or changed based on the transition to streaming and social media that has taken place over the past 15 years.
”Carry the dog's head”
According to Johansson, services like Spotify sometimes have to "carry the dog's head" because there is still a lack of clear legislation on AI, and how the digital economy has been built up. When it comes to Daniel Ek's private investments, Johansson emphasizes that the company Helsing provides drones to Ukraine.
There is a difference between investing in weapons that are to be used to attack a country, compared to defending oneself against the attacking country, he says.
”Rather illegal”
Saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar runs Moserobie, one of Sweden's largest jazz record labels. He has never uploaded his music to Spotify due to what he considers "slave-like" terms, a stance that has been strengthened by the recent controversies.
I would rather see people downloading my music illegally and being fully aware that they are not supporting what I do, than streaming it on Spotify where I get zero kronor and they think they are supporting me, says Kullhammar.
Several artists have chosen to remove their music from Spotify. For some, it has not been fully implemented, while others have chosen to opt out of certain markets:
Deerhoof (June 30, 2025): The indie rock band withdrew their music from Spotify in protest against CEO Daniel Ek's investment in AI-driven war drones through the defense technology company Helsing.
Xiu Xiu (July 24): An experimental rock band that called Spotify a "garbage hole Armageddon portal" and urged their fans to cancel their subscriptions.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (July 25): An Australian psychedelic rock band that expressed "Fuck Spotify" and removed their music library in protest.
David Bridie (July 31): An Australian musician who removed his music and criticized Spotify for low compensation and investments in war technology.
Kalahari Oyster Cult label, Leah Senior, and Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice: A record label and several artists who have followed the same path by leaving Spotify in 2025.
As early as 2014, Taylor Swift removed all her music from Spotify, citing that the streaming service did not fairly compensate artists. In 2022, artists such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell boycotted Spotify due to the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and its spread of COVID-19 disinformation.
Swift, Young, and Mitchell later returned to the platform. Now, the debate over Spotify's compensation model has been linked to ethics and military investments.
