The digital streaming platform Spotify rejected that the company finances war actions, as stated by the lead singer of the rock band Café Tacvba, who requested Universal Music and Warner Music Mexico to remove the band’s catalog from the service, in protest against the company’s alleged investment in wars.
“We respect Café Tacvba’s artistic legacy and Rubén Albarrán’s right to express his opinions, but the facts tell a different story. Spotify does not fund the war,” the platform explained in a statement shared with EFE.
Spotify responds to Café Tacvba
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The reaction comes after Albarrán published a video message on his social networks on Wednesday, in which he stated that the platform contravenes his artistic vision and ethics, and questioned the royalty sharing model and the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry.
“In recent days I have delivered, on behalf of Café Tacvba, a letter to both Universal Music and Warner Music Mexico, asking them to download Café Tacvba’s catalog from the Spotify platform,” he said.
The controversy arose after Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced last June a $700 million investment through his personal company, Prima Materia, in European defense firm Helsing.
It is a firm specializing in artificial intelligence software integrated into fighter aircraft.
However, in its position, Spotify specified that “Helsing is an independent company that has been supplying defense technology to Ukraine.”
Albarrán also said that one of the arguments for requesting the removal of the band’s music from Spotify was due to “ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) advertising” on the platform.
In that regard, Spotify stated that “there are currently no ICE ads” in its content and noted that “the aforementioned advertising was part of a U.S. Government recruitment campaign that was broadcast on major media outlets and platforms.”
The musician also criticized “the use of artificial intelligence to the detriment of musicians and all people”, arguing that “music must have meaning and must support the people and give them strength”.
In this regard, the company argued that Spotify “is a platform for music, and our AI policy is focused on protecting human artists from clones and fraud.”
In his criticism, Albarrán commented that the group seeks to prevent its income from being linked to conflicts, “we do not want our royalties, the money they take from us, to be used to sponsor wars and other reprehensible actions”.
On this, the platform said it is “proud” that Café Tacvba’s music has generated millions of dollars on Spotify over the years and stated that it continues to pay more money to more artists “than any other player in the history of music.”
“We consistently pay 70% of our revenue to rights holders. We have a deep respect for Café Tacvba’s legacy and remain committed to being the bridge between their music and the millions of fans who support them on our platform every day,” the company said.
In his publication, the vocalist of Café Tacvba, which has more than 7.3 million monthly listeners, invited fans to listen to the group on other platforms or even to “boycott” Spotify, and called to “create a new world, more just, horizontal” and in which “music continues to have value” and “meaning”.
The Mexican band’s request joins others, such as the English group Massive Attack, Björk, Lorde, Deerhoof, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Filed under: Spotify responds to Café Tacvba
With information from EFE
