Why I Left Spotify

The musician’s El Dorado is more dystopian than it appears.

Note: I published this piece for my patrons, before Spotify started running ICE recruitment ads. Add that B.S. to the mountain of reasons to leave.

Spotify is the independent musician’s El Dorado. If we artists could only hack through the jungle between ourselves and millions of streams, we’d reach financial freedom and visible proof that we “made it” — at least that’s what we’re told. The truth is that, however, when it comes to Spotify, all that glitters isn’t gold. It’s a destructive force in the world and to artists, and unless drastic changes occur, I can no longer make excuses for using it as an artist or consumer.

Here are three primary reasons my music is no longer on their platform.

It feeds the war machine.

It isn’t news that Spotify’s profits are tied to the military industrial complex. Artists and consumers have been calling for a platform boycott since at least 2021, when CEO Daniel Ek invested over $100 million in Helsing — a German defense company that specializes in AI-powered drones. But criticism and platform defections haven’t made a difference. Ek recently announced an even larger investment in Helsing, to the tune of $700 million.