King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Remove Music from Spotify
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, photo by Maclay Heriot
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have become the latest artists to pull their music off of Spotify. Following a precedent set by early critics Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, who removed their catalogs from the platform last month and yesterday, respectively, King Gizzard attributed the move to an objection to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in AI-powered military software.
“A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI military drone technology,” the genre-obliterating Australian sextet shared in a post to their Instagram story, over an AI-generated image of AI-generated band The Velvet Sundown. “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.”
While Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu expressed that their departures from Spotify would take time as they work with their labels and other contracted parties to effect the change, longtime independents King Gizzard were able to exit on their own terms, as nearly all of their recorded output has been on their own Flightless, KGLW and now (p)doom imprints. The only King Gizzard project currently available on Spotify is Satanic Slumber Party, their 2022 collaboration with fellow Australian rock experimentalists Tropical Fuck Storm, released on Joyful Noise Recordings. In a comment for Pitchfork, Joyful Noise label manager Jake Saunders stated that the EP will be taken down if both bands request it.
The recent surge in criticism of Spotify is specifically directed towards Ek’s venture capital firm Prima Materia and its investment in Helsing, a defense technology company specializing in AI-enhanced weapons and surveillance systems. Prima Materia has invested in Helsing, for which Ek serves as chairman, since 2021, and last month led a new round of funding totalling just shy of $700 million.
“Spotify is flushing itself down the toilet,” Deerhoof wrote in their pointed explanation of Ek’s stake in the lethal technology gold rush and the broader systems of forced complacency at large today. “Eventually artists will want to leave this already widely hated data-mining scam masquerading as a ‘music company.’ It’s creepy for users and crappy for artists. Music-making lasts forever but this or that digital get-rich-quick scheme is sure to become obsolete.”
While many artists are dependent on Spotify for its economy of exposure and meager but sustaining streaming payouts, King Gizzard’s break with the platform is enabled by their robust merchandising and touring endeavors. In that spirit, view the band’s full live itinerary–including two upcoming shows at Queens, N.Y.’s Forest Hills Stadium–here, and check out their recent Flame Throwers vinyl collaborations with Relix here.
Find King Gizzard’s music on all other major streaming platforms, and listen to their new Bandcamp exclusive Demos Vol. 7 + Vol. 8 below.
