Latest news with #spotify
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Spotify faces boycott calls over CEO's investment in AI military startup
Spotify, the world's leading music streaming platform, is facing intense criticism and boycott calls following CEO Daniel Ek's announcement of a €600m ($702m) investment in Helsing, a German defence startup specialising in AI-powered combat drones and military software. The move, announced on 17 June, has sparked widespread outrage from musicians, activists and social media users who accuse Ek of funnelling profits from music streaming into the military industry. Many have started calling on users to cancel their subscriptions to the service. 'Finally cancelling my Spotify subscription – why am I paying for a fuckass app that works worse than it did 10 years ago, while their CEO spends all my money on technofascist military fantasies?' said one user on X. On Reddit, a user wrote: "When tech is weaponized, our subscriptions become bullets. Spotify's hands aren't clean – boycott the silence, boycott the blood. No art should fund destruction." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters This isn't the first time Spotify has faced boycott calls over Ek's invesment in Helsing. In 2021, many users and artists called for a similar boycott after Ek announced a €100m investment in the company. Middle East Eye contacted Spotify and Ek for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. so instead of paying artists livable wages for their art, the ceo of spotify decided to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into an ai military start-up company? and is now currently chairman of said company…? right, okay, fuck daniel ek and fuck spotify. — apple (@applezbian) June 25, 2025 Many users drew attention to Spotify's payment system, which has been criticised for years – by both major pop stars and independent and emerging artists and labels – due to its royalty rates. Many users expressed frustration that Spotify's CEO was pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into warfare technology while continuing to pay artists notoriously low royalties. The United Musicians and Allied Workers, a union of musicians who have organised and demonstrated for better royalties at Spotify, called Ek "a warmonger who pays artists poverty wages". "The people running our music industry are the same people 'doubling down' on AI military technology. To build a fair and just music industry, we also must dismantle imperialism in all its forms," the union said in a statement on X. Another user said: "Your streams are paying for military drones, while artists starve. This is evil. Ek cashing in on public stock value (which artists see none of) and reinvesting his profits in murder machines." I had just made a spotify premium account this month but I was now informed that the ceo is using the money to support a military ai startup so I cancelled my subscription and put that as my reason. Disarm spotify — zoe (@daisyjonesswift) June 25, 2025 Singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn addressed the issue in an Instagram video, stating: 'For as long as they've existed, [Spotify] have grossly underpaid musicians, but the money they've been making from subscriptions has been lining their pockets, and now we know where it's gone.' She urged artists and listeners to cancel their subscriptions, saying: 'Your labour, your money has gone directly to fund the war machine.' As the backlash grows, many said they are turning to alternative streaming platforms and urged others to support artists directly as a form of boycott. not just festivals—seeing the spotify CEO now heading up a so-called "military start-up", at some point musicians and listeners are going to need to really reckon with and confront the ways our music is being used to usher this shit ahead. — lelu (@lelulolololol) June 25, 2025 "Stop using Spotify. It sounds like they treat artists like shit, and this guy [Ek] is obviously another wannabe tech-broligarch trying to make big bucks off keeping shitheads in power," said one Reddit user. "Defund the broligarchy! Buy music from artists on Bandcamp or use a lesser evil like Tidal.' Another user on X agreed. "Officially switched back to tidal for music streaming. spotify bought a military ai company for $690m while still paying jack shit to artists and my pennies aren't going towards that anymore once and for all."
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Tina Fey judges rich Hollywood stars with 'side hustles,' claims she hates money
Tina Fey has no space for well-off people looking for their next paycheck. During an episode of the "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" podcast, the "Saturday Night Live" alum explained why she's not a fan of "rich people" looking for extra income. During the episode, Poehler congratulated her close friend for having "the best hair in the business," and played around with the idea of using it as a side hustle to bring in more money. "But you have incredible hair," Poehler said. "I feel like you should have a hair campaign and also, I always, I'm pushing you to have a glasses line. Why do you not have a [glasses line]?" Fey began to explain why she doesn't have her own line of eyewear, and Poehler cut her off by asking, "You hate money?" "I do kind of hate money," Fey admitted.. "As we know, [I'm] terrible with money… I don't waste money, but I don't get excited about money." Fey said she just needs "enough money to live" and feel "safe." "I have a problem with rich people having a side hustle," she said. "If you already have like $200 million and you're like also…" "But Tina, this is where you have to learn from Gen Z," Poehler said. "They don't judge it." "I judge it," Fey said. Recently, many celebrities have been open about their various side hustles that have nothing to do with their actual profession in Hollywood. In October, Lily Allen revealed she earns more income from posting photos of her feet on OnlyFans than she does from streams of her music on Spotify. In June, the 39-year-old singer launched an account on the subscription-based platform that only featured images of her feet. The "Smile" hitmaker revealed her side hustle is more profitable than the royalties she receives as an artist on the streaming service. "imagine being and artist and having nearly 8 million monthly listeners on spotify but earning more money from having 1000 people subscribe to pictures of your feet," Allen wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "don't hate the player, hate the game."
