King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Withdraw Music from Spotify and Offer It for Free on Bandcamp

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the Australian psychedelic rock band, have made a bold move by pulling their music from Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in the military AI drone company, Helsing. This decision follows a statement the band made earlier, calling on fans to pressure Ek to reconsider his investment choices. In an effort to make their music more accessible, the band has uploaded their entire discography to Bandcamp, where fans can download albums for any price, even for free. This has resulted in several of their albums, such as ‘Nonagon Infinity’ and ‘PetroDragonic Apocalypse,’ dominating Bandcamp’s best-selling list. The band’s decision comes after similar actions taken by other artists like Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof, who also withdrew their music from Spotify in response to Ek’s controversial investment. The debate around the impact of streaming platforms on musicians has intensified in recent years, with many criticizing Spotify for its business practices, including the demonetization of songs with fewer than 1,000 streams. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s stance highlights ongoing tensions within the music industry, particularly regarding artist compensation and the ethics of streaming services.