King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard launch a ton of music, however you received’t be capable to hear it when you’re completely a Spotify listener. The prolific Australian rock band has pulled practically its whole catalog off the streaming platform with out a lot warning or fanfare.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard first signaled their departure by saying “fuck Spotify” whereas selling a brand new demo assortment that’s unique to Bandcamp. They later defined, in an Instagram story, that they oppose navy investments made by Spotify co-founder and chief government Daniel Ek’s funding fund Prima Materia. See their full assertion beneath.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s departure comes after Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu additionally signaled intent to depart Spotify, with each acts additionally citing their opposition to the Prima Materia investments.
When saying their Spotify departures, Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu cautioned that it might take time to get their music off the platform, largely resulting from label offers and different contractual issues. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard usually are not tasked with the identical points, nevertheless, as they’ve all the time shared music via their very own labels, Flightless, KGLW, and (P)Doom.
The one undertaking King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have ever launched completely via an out of doors label is 2022’s Satanic Slumber Get together, a collaborative EP with fellow Australian rockers Tropical Fuck Storm that was issued by way of Joyful Noise Recordings. As of publication, it’s the lone undertaking left on King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s Spotify web page.
When reached by Pitchfork, Joyful Noise’s label supervisor, Jake Saunders, defined that the Satanic Slumber Get together EP was a part of a cope with Tropical Fuck Storm, and the label will proceed nevertheless each bands would really like. “In the event that they ask us to take it down, we are going to,” he wrote by way of e-mail. “We serve the artist, and it’s their proper to resolve what platforms to promote their music on.”
Saunders continued, “We’re grateful for artists like King Gizz, Thor Harris, Xiu Xiu, Adam Harding/Dumb Numbers, and Deerhoof for placing their foot down. We live amongst giants.”
He additionally wrote: “Labels and artists which are nonetheless creating their reside present and don’t match the algorithmic mould are basically being held hostage by Spotify. No disrespect to King Gizz, however they’re a profitable touring band with the power to take a stand. Their Spotify royalties are doubtless a drop within the bucket in comparison with what they’ll make on the highway. Joyful Noise has a wholesome webstore and a Bernie Sanders–esque subscription mannequin that permits us to launch not-so-Spotify-friendly bands. But, for creating artists and labels, Spotify is held as a precedence throughout a number of sectors of the business. Our solely hope is that Spotify turns into so uncool that folks begin to uncover music elsewhere, hopefully on a platform that isn’t run by somebody giving tens of millions to the navy industrial complicated.”
