Over 160 Basque groups remove their tracks from Spotify due to owner’s investments
More than 160 musical groups from the Basque Country have removed their tracks from Spotify, expressing disagreement with the investment policies of the platform’s owner. The reason was reports that the service’s founder, Daniel Ek, invests in a company working on technological developments, including defense solutions. For a significant part of the local scene, this became a signal to reconsider their presence on the platform.
In recent months, groups such as Kortatu, Negu Gorriak, La Furia, Mursego, Jon Maia, and others have already removed their tracks. At the same time, the situation in the Basque Country fits into a broader international context: more and more artists from other countries are also leaving Spotify for similar reasons. Among them are Deerhoof, who openly stated that they do not want their music to “finance war technologies, ” as well as Xiu Xiu and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who expressed disagreement with Ek’s investments in the technology company Helsing. The Canadian band Godspeed You! Black Emperor removed almost their entire discography from major streaming services, emphasizing their disagreement with the direction of the industry, and Massive Attack requested that their music be removed from Spotify, citing the “ethical consequences” of the company’s leadership decisions.
Spotify stated that Ek’s investments are private and not related to the operation of the streaming service. Nevertheless, among artists there is a growing interest in issues of transparency, reputation, and the social impact of technology companies, as well as a desire by creative groups to consciously determine the conditions and platforms through which their music is distributed.
