Overview

• On July 28, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard officially removed their entire catalog from Spotify to protest CEO Daniel Ek’s multimillion-euro investment in German AI military drone startup Helsing.
• In their announcement, the band encouraged listeners to cancel Spotify subscriptions and follow them to alternative streaming platforms.
• Xiu Xiu has also completed its withdrawal, calling Spotify a “garbage hole violent armageddon portal” and urging fans to take action.
• Independent labels including Joyful Noise Recordings, Polyvinyl, Kill Rock Stars and Graveface have publicly supported the protest and are facilitating further artist exits.
• These artist-led withdrawals highlight ongoing tensions over streaming payouts and raise questions about tech leadership profiting from defense technology.