Spotify has come under some controversy lately, over recruitment commercials for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sparking outcry from a lot of artists, including New Jersey post-hardcore band, Thursday.
In a message shared with their fans, the band called on Spotify to end its use of ICE ads, writing, “Thursday is an independent band and we join the wider independent musical community in calling upon Spotify to remove any and all ICE recruitment advertising from its platform.”
“A single voice is tiny but collective action is mighty, so please join us in publicly asking Spotify to remove all ICE advertising immediately,” they continued, then adding, “Write these words back down,” which is a reference to the band’s song “Autobiography of a Nation,” from their 2001 sopomore album, Full Collapse. Notably, the song itself is reference Michael Palmer’s poem “Sun,” and is an examination of America’s history of racisim and violence.
According to Metal Injection, the ICE ads reportedly offer a $50,000 signing bonus and began showing up in the past for week for users on Spotify’s lower-tier pricing plans.
In a statement defending itself, Spotify said: “This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television, streaming, and online channels. The content does not violate our advertising policies. However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs up or thumbs down to help manage their ad preferences.”
It’s interesting that Spotify is comfortable digging their heels in on this one, considering all the terrible press they’ve had lately. For example, back in August, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard announced plans to leave the streaming service, after it was revealed that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment company, Prima Materia, is investing in Helsing, a German company that builds drones and artificial intelligence for military operations.
To protest, King Gizzard — as well as other artists — chose to start taking their music off of Spotify to sever ties with Ek.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, King Gizzard frontman Stu Mackenzie offered some insight into their decision and weighed in on Ek’s business moves, saying that it was “a bit of shock” to learn of Ek’s military drone investment, but “then feeling that I shouldn’t be shocked.”
“We’ve been saying fuck Spotify for years,” He added. “In our circle of musician friends, that’s what people say all the time, for all of these other reasons which are well documented.”
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