This is a big one. In recent months, a number of artists have removed their music from Spotify in response to CEO Daniel Ek investing $700 million in the AI military startup Helsing. Now, Bristol trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack have become the latest act to boycott Spotify. Most of the artists who have announced the removal of their music from the streaming service are independent. Massive Attack, like temporary Spotify boycotter Neil Young before them, are major-label artists. On Spotify, they have nearly eight million monthly listeners. Massive Attack have been vocal about their opposition to Israel's campaign of genocide and to militarism in general, and they're putting their money where their mouth is.
Today, Massive Attack joined a group of more than 400 artists and labels who have elected to block their music from all streaming services within the state of Israel while urging major labels to do the same. In announcing their alignment with the "No Music For Genocide" campaign on Instagram, Massive Attack went on to say that they have further moved to take all of their music down from Spotify everywhere, citing a situation in which "the hard-earned money of fans and the creative endeavours of musicians ultimately funds lethal, dystopian technologies." Here's what they've written:
In support of the "No Music For Genocide" initiative, Massive Attack have made a formal request to our record label (Universal Music Group) that our music be removed from all DSP streaming services in the territory of Israel.
Unconnected to this initiative & in light of the (reported) significant investments by it's CEO in a company producing military munition drones & Al technology intergrated into fighter aircraft, Massive Attack have made a seperate request to our label that our music be removed from the Spotify streaming service in all territories.
In our view, the historic precedent of effective artist action during apartheid South Africa and the apartheid, war crimes and genocide now being committed by the state of Israel renders the "No Music For Genocide" campaign imperative.
In the seperate case of Spotify, the economic burden that has long been placed on artists is now compounded by a moral & ethical burden, whereby the hard-earned money of fans & the creative endeavours of musicians ulitmately funds lethal, dystopian technologies.
Enough is more than enough.
Another way is possible.
In the Instagram caption to that announcement, Massive Attack have more to say:
In 1991 the scourge of apartheid violence fell from South Africa, aided from a distance by public boycotts, protests, & the withdrawal of work by artists, musicians and actors. Complicity with that state was considered unacceptable. In 2025 the same now applies to the genocidal state of Israel. As of today, there’s a musician’s equivalent of the recently announced @filmworkers4palestine campaign (signed by 4,500 filmmakers, actors, industry workers & institutions) - it can be found @nomusicforgenocide & supports the wider asks of the growing @bds.movement . We’d appeal to all musicians to transfer their sadness, anger and artistic contributions into a coherent, reasonable & vital action to end the unspeakable hell being visited upon the Palestinians hour after hour.
Helsing has issued a statement today: "Currently we see misinformation spreading that Helsing’s technology is deployed in war zones other than Ukraine. This is not correct. Our technology is deployed to European countries for deterrence and for defence against the Russian aggression in Ukraine only."
Meanwhile, a representative from Spotify For Artists posted the following comment on Massive Attack's Instagram post:
Hi, Joe here from Spotify. I want to clarify a few things. Spotify and Helsing are two totally separate companies. And while I can’t speak for Helsing, I’m well aware they’re not involved in Gaza. I know because I had the same questions myself, and asked. Helsing’s efforts are focused on Europe defending itself in Ukraine. If you want to talk about Spotify and royalty payouts, happy to have a conversation. Thank you for hearing me out
In recent months, artists like Xiu Xiu, Deerhoof, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hotline TNT, WU LYF, and Young Widows have removed their music from Spotify. As I write this, Massive Attack's music is still in Spotify, but it probably takes a little longer to enforce that kind of decision when you're working within the major-label system.
