Boycott Spotify

Indivisible has launched a boycott of Spotify because the music streaming platform is running recruitment ads for ICE. The organization has issued to Spotify the following demands as conditions for lifting the boycott:

• Immediately terminate all ICE and DHS advertising contracts with Spotify.
• Spotify must update its Advertising Policy to prohibit government propaganda and hate-based recruitment campaigns.
• Spotify must commit to defending civil rights and standing up for communities under threat from authoritarian actions.

What To Do

1. Cancel your premium subscription. Unfortunately, you cannot do this within the Spotify app. You need to log into your account in a web browser. When you reach the screen asking for the reason why you are cancelling be sure that you indicate it is because they are supporting fascism by airing ICE recruitment ads.
2. Transfer your Spotify data to another platform. Alternative music streaming platforms we recommend are Tidal or Qobuz. Use TuneMyMusic to move your playlists and other data to your new platform.

Note: Although Indivisible recommends Apple Music as a Spotify alternative on its boycott page, we do not recommend this service because of its track record of capitulating to the Trump Administration. The most recent example:

Apple removes ICEBlock app after criticism from Trump administration

Google also removed similar apps from the app store for Android devices, although ICEBlock was never available on the Google Play store.

NBC NewsSteve Kopack

3. Delete your Spotify account. It's not enough to cancel your paid subscription. Spotify will be able to generate less ad revenue if they hemorrhage unpaid subscribers.
4. Leave a negative review for Spotify in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

5. Spread the word. Post about the boycott on social media and use the hashtags: #CancelSpotify #DontStreamFascism #StopICEAds. Tag Spotify in these posts. In other posts, tag your favorite artists and podcasters and urge them to boycott the platform. Indivisible has provided a social media toolkit to help you generate these posts easily on multiple platforms.

Other Companies Running These Ads

Spotify is not the only platform running these ICE recruitment ads. The reason why they are being singled out for this campaign is strategic: boycotts are much more successful when they target one company instead of several. However, these ads are also airing on several other streaming platforms, including the ones listed below. Each company listed below links to their customer support page so you can share your views about them profiting from fascism and racism. Feel free to cancel and delete your account as well.

• HBO Max
• Hulu
• LinkedIn
• Meta
• Pandora
• Peacock
• Twitter
• YouTube (owned by Google/Alphabet)

ICE recruitment ads appearing on Spotify, HBO Max and other streaming services

DHS says the ad blitz has led to more than 175,000 applications and 18,000 tentative job offers

The IndependentAriana Baio

Other Reasons to Boycott Spotify

Even if Spotify stops running ICE recruitment ads, there are other reasons to boycott the company, ranging from their exploitation of musicians to the CEO/Founder Daniel Ek's investment in AI weapons tech to their unethical data privacy practices. Below are articles for additional background.

Massive Attack remove music from Spotify to protest against CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in AI military

The band cited a ‘moral and ethical burden’ placed on artists by revenue from their work ultimately funding lethal technologies

The GuardianLaura Snapes

Cancel Your Spotify: Streaming Service Graduates From Grubby To Toxic

#BoycottSpotify is trending — will it change anything?

MediumJohn Rogers

The Ghosts in the Machine, by Liz Pelly

Spotify’s plot against musicians

Harper's MagazineLiz Pelly

Spotify’s Greed: How the Streaming Giant Exploits Musicians - Mole Empire

Spotify has become a behemoth in the music streaming world, commanding over 30% of the market share and generating billions in revenue. However, behind this success lies a growing controversy surrounding how the platform treats the very artists that fuel its growth. Musicians, especially independent ones, have long raised concerns about Spotify’s greed, arguing that…

Mole EmpireLeetsquivel

Spotify has a patent for personality tracking technology – and it’s pretty creepy stuff - Music Business Worldwide

“Future research could begin to link streaming behavior with brain scanning, genetic, and physiological data.”…

Music Business WorldwideMurray Stassen

Big Mood Machine | Liz Pelly

Inside Spotify’s emotional surveillance-driven quest for total ad domination.

The BafflerJess Bergman

We also recommend checking out the Justice at Spotify campaign and signing their petition.

Justice At Spotify - Union of Musicians and Allied Workers — United Musicians and Allied Workers

Spotify is growing in value, yet music workers everywhere see little more than pennies in compensation for the work they make. With the entire live music ecosystem in jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic, music workers are more reliant on streaming income than ever. We are calling on Spotify to

United Musicians and Allied Workers