Massive Attack Scrubs Catalogue From Spotify

Massive Attack is the latest – and highest profile – defector from Spotify, doing so as a raised middle finger to the streamer’s CEO Daniel Ek and his personal investments outside of the music industry.

The British electronic act has also told Universal Music Group, its label home, to pull music from all streaming platforms in Israel, in solidarity to the “No Music for Genocide” campaign, of which Massive Attack is a signatory.

In a statement, the duo confirms a request made that UMG remove their music from Spotify in all territories, owing to a reported billion-dollar investment made by Ek through his investment fund Prima Materia, which has been backing Helsing, a defense company that sells AI software to inform military situations.

The same message calls for their music to be wiped “from all DSP streaming services in the territory of Israel.”

“We’d appeal to all musicians to transfer their sadness, anger and artistic contributions into a coherent, reasonable & vital action to end the unspeakable hell being visited upon the Palestinians hour after hour,” reads a social post.

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Massive Attack joins an exodus of artists from Spotify, which includes King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and David Bridie. 

According to a spokesperson for Helsing, "Our technology is deployed to European countries for deterrence and for defence against the Russian aggression in Ukraine only."

Hailing from Bristol's trip hop scene, and led by Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, Massive Attack operated at the vanguard of Britain’s world-class electronic music scene in the 1990s and 2000s.

Along the way, they’ve collected two No. 1s on The Official UK Albums Chart, for 1998’s Mezzanine and 2003’s 100th Window, scooped a Brit Award (for Best British Dance Act in 1996), and received the coveted Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, in 2009.

Several of their top 40 hits, which include “Teardrop,” “Unfinished Sympathy,” “Safe From Harm” and “Karmacoma” featuring Tricky, are considered part of the DNA of modern British music.

No Music for Genocide declares itself “a cultural boycott of Israel” and currently boasts over 400 artists and labels, who have have geo-blocked and removed their music from that territory. Other artists signed up include Amyl and The Sniffers, Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream and Grizzly Bear.