Hotline TNT have pulled their music from Spotify, joining an exodus of indie acts including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Xiu Xiu, and Deerhoof. “The company that bills itself as the steward of all recorded music has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that it does not align with the band’s values in any way,” frontman Will Anderson wrote in a statement. “A cooler world is possible.”
In announcing their departures from Spotify, King Gizzard, Xiu Xiu, and Deerhoof all cited the military investments made by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek through his venture capital fund Prima Materia. Since 2021, Prima Materia has been investing in Helsing, a defense company that sells software that uses AI to inform military decisions. Godspeed You! Black Emperor went one step further and removed their music from all major streaming platforms.
This year, Hotline TNT shared their latest album Raspberry Moon. They’re currently on tour in support of the record. On September 5, Hotline TNT will host a “24-hour telethon” on Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram, during which, according to a press release, they’ll “aim to sell 500 copies of Raspberry Moon via Bandcamp while also talking to artists, journalists, record store owners and others about their favorite new music, sources for discovery, and their feelings on Spotify.”
Read Jeremy D. Larson’s feature “The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming.”