Khaberni - In the "Bazherz" library in Oakland, California, a series of events titled "Death to Spotify" was recently launched, involving artists, producers, and independent music enthusiasts, to discuss the future of the music industry away from the major commercial platforms, notably "Spotify".
The events, which started as a small local initiative, received widespread attendance and international interest from cities like Barcelona and Bengaluru, where attendees expressed their desire to organize similar events. The goal was clear: to dismantle the relationship between musical creativity and exploitative algorithms, and to reject the dominance of corporations over the ears of listeners and the livelihood of the artists.
The initiative came in the context of increasing criticism faced by "Spotify", especially after the publication of the book "Mood Machine" by music journalist Liz Bailey, which described the platform as turning listeners into passive consumers and contributed to transforming music into soulless and substance-free "cafe music".
This year also saw notable boycotts, participated in by bands such as "Massive Attack," "Deerhoof," and "Hotline TNT," protesting the investments of "Spotify's" founder Daniel Ek in the German company "Helsing," which develops artificial intelligence technologies for military purposes.
Stephanie Dokish and Manasa Karthikeyan, organizers of the event in Oakland, decided to start the discussion from the perspective of the listeners, not just the artists. Dokish says, "We wanted to learn how to remove our files from the platform, and how to restore our relationship with music manually and collaboratively." Karthikeyan confirms that quitting "Spotify" requires users to accept the idea of losing immediate access to everything, considering it a stimulus for conscious awareness and support for artists.
But the question remains: Can artists and listeners continue the boycott? The experience shows that some big names, such as Taylor Swift and Neil Young, had previously withdrawn from the platform and then returned to it. However, Will Anderson, singer of "Hotline TNT," says the likelihood of his return to the platform is "0%", confirming that selling their album through "Bandcamp" and live streaming on "Twitch" has generated a much higher income than "Spotify".
Artist Caroline Rose, in turn, chose not to release her latest album "Year of the Slug" on any streaming platform, preferring to distribute it via vinyl and "Bandcamp." She says, "It's a shame to put all this emotional and artistic effort, and then give it away to the platforms for free."
This boycott coincides with efforts by the "Union of Musicians and Allied Workers" (UMAW), which calls for collective and organized steps to hold companies accountable, including pressuring the "South by Southwest" festival to sever its relations with military sponsors, and supporting a bill in the U.S. Congress to ensure a minimum wage for musicians on "Spotify".
Ultimately, Karthikeyan says the goal is not to shut down "Spotify" completely, but to raise questions: "When we listen to music chosen for us by an algorithm, we live inside a bubble of comfort that empties culture of its depth and soul."
