King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard release a ton of music, but you won’t be able to hear it if you’re exclusively a Spotify listener. The prolific Australian rock band has pulled nearly its entire catalog off the streaming platform without much warning or fanfare.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard first signaled their departure by saying “fuck Spotify” while promoting a new demo collection that’s exclusive to Bandcamp. They later explained, in an Instagram story, that they oppose military investments made by Spotify co-founder and chief executive Daniel Ek’s investment fund Prima Materia. See their full statement below.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s departure comes after Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu also signaled intent to leave Spotify, with both acts also citing their opposition to the Prima Materia investments.
When announcing their Spotify departures, Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu cautioned that it would take time to get their music off the platform, mostly due to label deals and other contractual complications. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are not tasked with the same issues, however, as they’ve always shared music through their own labels, Flightless, KGLW, and (P)Doom.
The only project King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have ever released exclusively through an outside label is 2022’s Satanic Slumber Party, a collaborative EP with fellow Australian rockers Tropical Fuck Storm that was issued via Joyful Noise Recordings. As of publication, it’s the lone project left on King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s Spotify page.
When reached by Pitchfork, Joyful Noise’s label manager, Jake Saunders, explained that the Satanic Slumber Party EP was part of a deal with Tropical Fuck Storm, and the label will proceed however both bands would like. “If they ask us to take it down, we will,” he wrote via email. “We serve the artist, and it’s their right to decide what platforms to sell their music on.”
Saunders continued, “We are grateful for artists like King Gizz, Thor Harris, Xiu Xiu, Adam Harding/Dumb Numbers, and Deerhoof for putting their foot down. We are living among giants.”
He also wrote: “Labels and artists that are still developing their live show and don’t fit the algorithmic mold are essentially being held hostage by Spotify. No disrespect to King Gizz, but they are a successful touring band with the ability to take a stand. Their Spotify royalties are likely a drop in the bucket compared to what they can make on the road. Joyful Noise has a healthy webstore and a Bernie Sanders–esque subscription model that allows us to release not-so-Spotify-friendly bands. Yet, for developing artists and labels, Spotify is held as a priority across several sectors of the industry. Our only hope is that Spotify becomes so uncool that people start to discover music elsewhere, hopefully on a platform that isn’t run by someone giving millions to the military industrial complex.”
Spotify has faced increased scrutiny in recent months due to investments made by Ek’s Prima Materia. The investment fund is heavily involved with Helsing, a defense company that sells software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to inform military decisions. Prima Materia has been investing in Helsing since 2021, and the firm recently led a new round of funding that put another 600 million euros ($693.6 million) toward the defense company.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard:
Hello friends
A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI 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 🕊️
