Why did King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard pull their entire catalog from Spotify? Daniel Ek controversy explored

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announced on Friday, July 25, 2025, that they pulled their entire catalog from Spotify. The rock band wrote on their Instagram story that their decision was due to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's investment in "AI military drone technology."

In June 2025, the venture capital firm founded by Spotify CEO and co-founder Prima Materia raised nearly $700 million in funds for the German military defense company Helsing. Daniel Ek is also the chairman of the European defense company.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard called Ek the "Dr. Evil tech bro" and informed fans that they would be adding their music catalog to another platform.

"Hello friends. A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI military drone technology. We just removed our music from the platform. Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better? Join us on another platform," the rock band stated.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's July 25, 2025, report, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will remove 3's music catalog, which includes 30 of their albums.

 

 

 

 

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As of the time of writing, only two albums of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are available on the music streaming platform: Paper Mâché Dream Balloon and Nonagon Infinity.

Their 2022 EP Satanic Slumber Party is also available. The band had over 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Along with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, bands like Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu have pulled their catalog from Spotify in protest

The group Deerhoof released their statement on June 30, 2025, noting that they didn't like reading headlines about Daniel Ek investing in Helsing.

Deerhoof stated that they didn't want their music to be associated with "Al battle tech."

They also shared that they didn't make enough revenue from the streaming app in the first place.

However, Deerhoof said that many artists are dependent on Spotify financially and told their fans not to "judge" others for not taking the same decision as them.

"We don't want our music killing people. We don't want our success being tied to Al battle tech. We are privileged that it was a pretty easy decision for us. Spotify only pays a pittance anyway, and we earn a lot more from touring," Deerhoof stated.

 

 

 

 

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Xiu Xiu, the experimental rock band, also pulled their catalog from Spotify. On July 24, 2025, they announced on Instagram that no long want to put their music on Spotify.

Calling the platform the "violent armageddon portal," the band requested that their fans cancel their Spotify subscriptions.

"We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole violent armageddon portal Spotify. It is taking longer than we had hoped due to procedurally complications but will be completed soon. Thanks for the support and patience," Xiu Xiu wrote on Instagram.

Spotify has not released any statement regarding King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and Xiu Xiu pulling their catalog.

For the unversed, along with Spotify, Daniel Ek is the founder of venture capital firm Prima Materia and health-tech company Neko Health.