Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor has pulled nearly their entire discography from major streaming services including Spotify.
Pitchfork reported on Sunday (August 17) that the band removed their catalog from Spotify, Tidal and Amazon Music. Their label, Constellation Records, confirmed the move to the news outlet without providing more information.
However, two albums from Godspeed’s earlier catalog — F# A# ∞ (1998) and Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven (2000) — remain temporarily accessible on Apple Music through their former label Kranky, Pitchfork said.
A representative from Kranky told the news outlet: “Kranky has always granted artists control over how their music is presented and disseminated.”
The band’s music remains available for purchase and streaming through direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s withdrawal marks the latest in the current wave of artist departures from streaming platforms.
Last month, Australian rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard became the latest act to withdraw their music from Spotify in protest over CEO Daniel Ek‘s investment in European defense technology company Helsing, founded in 2021, which specializes in AI defense software but also makes drones like the HX2.
In a statement posted on an Instagram story, King Gizzard said: “Hello friends. A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in Al military drone technology. 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.”
King Gizzard joined a growing list of artists to cut ties with Spotify over Ek’s Helsing investment. Experimental rock band Xiu Xiu also announced plans to leave Spotify over Ek’s move. The band wrote on Instagram: “Spotify uses music money to invest in AI war drones.”
San Francisco-based Indie rock band Deerhoof started the wave of departures, writing on their website on June 30: “We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.”
In June, Ek led a €600 million funding round for Helsing and assumed the chairman role. The defense startup, founded in 2021, creates AI-powered military systems including the “Centaur” technology that integrates artificial intelligence into fighter aircraft operations.
While Godspeed did not disclose the reason for pulling its music from Spotify, Tidal and Amazon Music, the band has been politically engaged. Last year, they dropped an album called No Title As of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, referencing the Palestinian death toll in Gaza as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry, according to Pitchfork.
Prior to the latest withdrawals from Spotify, other artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills & Nash have also decided to pull their music from the platform over the recent years.
In January 2022, Young announced that he was pulling his music from the streaming platform over its hosting of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. However, in March 2024, Young’s music returned to Spotify now that the podcast is no longer exclusive to the platform.
After Young’s return, Joni Mitchell’s music also reappeared on the platform two years after she removed her catalog from Spotify in protest of what she and Young perceived as the platform’s amplification of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
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