Indivisible calls for Spotify boycott over ICE recruitment ads
Indivisible calls for Spotify boycott urging artists and listeners to drop the streamer over ICE recruitment ads appearing on its free tier.
Indivisible calls for Spotify boycott over ICE recruitment ads
Grassroots advocacy network Indivisible, the group behind the recent No Kings protests, has announced a national Spotify boycott.
“Don’t Stream Fascism: Cancel Spotify” urges listeners, artists, and podcasters to stop streaming and cancel their subscriptions. This will continue until the platform stops running recruitment ads for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Invisible is calling out the streamer for supporting “Trump’s deportation machine.“ It says Spotify is “exploiting. the work of artists to line their pockets while recruiting for ICE — a secret police force that is terrorizing American communities.”
A small but growing group of artists including Massive Attack, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and Sylvan Esso have already exited Spotify. Their concerns include low royalty payments, AI-generated music, and CEO Daniel Ek’s investments in AI military tech.
But this is the first time a major advocacy group is calling for a boycott by both artists and fans.
The “Don’t Stream Fascism: Cancel Spotify” campaign sets out three demands:
- Immediately terminate all ICE and DHS recruitment contracts running on the platform.
- Update Spotify’s advertising policy to ban government propaganda and hate-based recruitment.
- Publicly commit to defending free speech and resisting what Indivisible calls an “authoritarian agenda.” (Indivisible)
Indivisible says that despite a letter sent to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins requesting action, the company has not responded.
This campaign could represent a turning point.
A platform as dominant as Spotify being targeted for its ad-inventory decisions puts a spotlight on the broader question. Do streaming services owe more transparency or accountability when it comes to who’s buying ad time and how it aligns with creators’ values?
Stay tuned as Hypebot tracks how the streaming giant responds and whether this movement indeed moves the needle.
Bruce Houghton
“Indivisible calls for Spotify boycott over ICE recruitment ads” first appeared on Hypebot.com. Images generated using ImageFX.
