Godspeed You! Black Emperor Pull Music from Streaming Services

Godspeed You! Black Emperor have pulled their music from all streaming services except for Bandcamp.

The decision comes after several bands, including Xiu Xiu, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Deerhoof, pulled their own music from Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in Helsing, a German company specializing in AI military software.

Constellation, the band’s record label, confirmed the removal of the band’s catalog from streaming services when reached for comment. “Constellation can confirm that Godspeed requested their catalogue be removed from all digital platforms except Bandcamp,” said a representative for the label. “Neither the band nor the label has any further comment to make at this time.”

As Pitchfork notes, the band’s first two albums, 1998’s F# A# ∞ and 2000’s Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven — which were released via the independent label Kranky — are still available to stream on Apple Music, but a Kranky representative confirmed that those albums are in the process of being removed.

In addition to the controversy surrounding Ek’s investment in AI military technology, Spotify has faced criticism for new features, including face-scanning age check feature and its allowance of AI-generated music to appear on deceased artists’ pages. Spotify has since committed to removing these songs and reaffirmed its ban on what it deems “deceptive content.”