Out of tune Band pull songs from app over military Al investment

THE biggest band to come out of Bristol have told their record label to pull all their songs from music streaming app Spotify, in protest at its founder investing more than £500 million in a military Al company.

- Tristan CORK

Massive Attack has millions of monthly listeners on the app, but are the first major label artist to withdraw their back catalogue in protest at the actions of Spotify founder Daniel Ek.

Spotify’s billionaire founder, the Swedish tech entrepreneur Ek, formed a venture capital firm called Prima Materia to invest his money. Back in June, that firm invested 600 million euros in a company called Helsing, which has Ek as its chairman.

Helsing uses AI technology in sensor and weapons system data, as well as making its own military drone, the HX-2.

Massive Attack announced that they have signed up to an initiative called No Music For Genocide, which looks to replicate the same kind of global campaign in the 1980s of Artists Against Apartheid, which boycotted apartheid South Africa and helped bring down the far right Government there.

The band said it wanted to withdraw its music from Spotify in protest over the link to Helsing.