This indie band quit Spotify because the CEO is now in the defence business
Last month it was reported that Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, invested US$700 million in Helsing, a defence company that builds military drones powered by AI. Machines of death, in other words. Ek is also chairman of Helsing.
Deerhoof, the experimental indie band from San Francisco, will have none of this.
“We don’t want our music killing people,” they said. “We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.
“AI battle tech is clearly emerging as the hot new big-ticket item for the super-rich. It’s increasingly clear that the military and police exist primarily as the security detail for the billionaire class.
“Just because someone is far from Western gatekeepers does not mean they lack culture or need to hear our band. Deerhoof is a small mom and pop operation and know when enough is enough.”
Deerhoof also claims that the tech has been “successfully tested on the people of Gaza, also finally solves the perennial inconvenience to war-makers – it takes human compassion and morality out of the equation.”
I wonder of any other bands will take this kind of stand?
