Photo by indra projects
Amsterdam-based label Kalahari Oyster Cult has announced that it is severing ties with Spotify, following revelations that the platform’s CEO Daniel Ek is investing in military AI technology.
The label, known for championing forward-thinking electronic music from artists like Sansibar, Roza Terenzi, Kosh, and Flora FM, announced its decision on July 1 via Instagram, confirming its entire catalogue has been removed from the streaming platform. The move follows renewed scrutiny over Ek’s financial backing of Helsing, a Berlin-based company developing artificial intelligence tools for military defense.
“Following the news about Daniel Ek’s major investment in AI tools for military use, we’ve decided to pull our entire catalogue from Spotify,” the label said. “As a label, and in consultation with the artists we represent, we don’t want our music contributing to or benefiting a platform led by someone backing tools of war, surveillance, and violence… We’re done being part of that.”
Ek, who launched his investment firm Prima Materia in 2021, previously poured funding into Helsing during a €100 million round. Now, he chairs the company. Helsing claims its mission is to “serve democracies,” yet critics argue it represents a deeper alignment between Silicon Valley-style venture capital and militarised AI, raising ethical concerns for creatives whose work is hosted on platforms funded by the same figures.
The backlash echoes recent events at Glastonbury, where performances by artists like Kneecap and Bob Vylan reignited fierce debate around the role of music as protest. Both acts drew heavy criticism (and police attention) for using their festival sets to condemn state violence and voice support for Palestine. But for many in the music community, this scrutiny is a distraction from what they see as a broader failure of accountability among governments and corporations alike.
In a related move, experimental rock band Deerhoof has also pulled their music from Spotify. The band has been outspoken on ethical consumption in the streaming era, previously criticising Spotify’s pay structure and corporate entanglements.
As criticism of Spotify’s leadership intensifies, artists across genres are increasingly questioning what it means to platform their work on services whose executives hold financial stakes in the global arms industry. For labels like Kalahari Oyster Cult, the decision to walk away is as much about solidarity as it is ethics: “Keeping our work on Spotify would mean going against everything we stand for.”
