🎀 On Boycotting, Alienation & Spotify Wrapped 🎀
& so comes another year of Spotify Wrapped - a mechanism for performance, one-upmanship & - the advanced alienation of the working class.
For many of us the last 2 years have been harrowing. We are collectively watching a genocide unfold before our eyes, seeing people ripped from their homes & workplaces in the US, & witnessing the unabashed rolling out of political violence in the UK in the form of the eradication of trans rights (& ultimately trans people) & the strengthening of a state structure that supports fascist views & actions.
Like many, I’ve been flitting around between participating in fundraisers, buying e-sims, having sad girl I can’t look at the internet summers, writing to politicians & supporting activism wherever I can. But on the whole, it has become endlessly deflating because it never feels like enough & never seems to make a difference. Because ultimately, it is out of our control.
As I write this we are in the midst of the next wave of online activism within the music scene - the vocalisation of disgust at performative Spotify Wrapped posts.
🎀 So why are people boycotting Spotify? 🎀
It’s long been known that streaming services are destroying the music industry - paying artists in some cases less than 0.003 a stream & making it near impossible for musicians to earn a living without constant touring (which comes coupled with sacrifices in mental health, stability & physical well-being). Largely it’s been a mechanism that truly separates the art from the artist & syphons off of others creativity in order to power itself. The devils work if you will.
But Spotify in particular has come under increased scrutiny over the last year with activists uncovering that Spotify’s CEO has invested upwards of 690m into military tech firm Helsing & is now refusing to take down ICE ads, expanding anti-abortion marketing & has fully integrated AI into their platform including the endorsement of AI music.
Every year we’ve become used to sharing our musical devotions like some kind of validation trophy. Like as if it actually says something about who we are or what we are about. But under an attention economy, all it does is channel money up into the hands of the transnational corporate class & fund the very things we are all writing music about.
This has led to campaigns like Bands Boycott Spotify & many musicians of increasing visibility removing their music from the platform. Meanwhile users are leaving the platform in droves in search of more ethical options.
But do boycotts work? & what are the realistic alternatives?
🎀 Do Boycotts work? 🎀
Welcome to capitalism - everything is owned by someone corrupt.
Many businesses start out with good intent. They have a unique idea, sometimes even with an ethical objective & go about growing their presence. Most companies regardless of structure (ltd, charity, social enterprise etc), launch with a mission to provide something of value to the world whilst sustaining an income. This can work - to a point. However eventually, the majority of businesses or projects that want long-term scalable success will ultimately need investment. Whether it be from a corporation, a bank or traditional investment mechanisms, all forms of investment for growth largely lead to . . . being owned by someone corrupt.
When businesses, artists or projects enter these arrangements they are often tightly legally wrapped - meaning exiting them can become incredibly tricky. This leaves founders facing the choice between stressful & expensive legal battles or living with the fact that not doing so compromises their values & likely totals their business in the process. We’ve seen this happen with festival sponsorships over the summer where investors have turned out to be ethically compromised. Whilst an immediate exit is ideal, it’s not always possible to simply terminate relationships you’ve contractually bound yourself to. Nor is it that easy to find alternative investment (most festivals work up their sponsorships over a year in advance of the event).
Under a capitalist structure & with little money available at the roots of our communities, growth often requires working within the system that enslaves us whether that be in our passion projects, what we do for a living or even our day to day. With unethical practices seeping their way into every facet of our existence - boycotting effectively becomes increasingly complex & it leads to the question - what’s the point & does it even work?
Boycotting does work but not in the way you think it does.
Let’s be real, boycotts aren’t actually hitting the pockets of the 1%. All capitalist structures care about is enhancing the bottom line & so any loss in profits just hits workers - either with layoffs in more affluent countries or in price pressures/a race to the bottom in structurally underdeveloped places.
The rich are agile enough to flip the script unscathed. It’s the workers who pay the price of economic instability.
The reason why BDS calls for targeted boycotts is because large-scale focussed pressure DOES work as it sends a coherent message - especially where those with larger platforms amplify the movement. This global union can & does cause sea change. It’s the entire reason why strike action is so effective - there is power in numbers.
Removing your music, ending subscriptions, amplifying messages all aid towards this. Particularly where we’ve already seen groups like Bands Boycott Spotify be removed for their campaigning efforts.
It’s nearly impossible to avoid all products related to Zionism at the moment. For example, I’m sharing this on instagram owned by meta (with all of its well known issues) who clearly have a partnership with Spotify. Every time we share music or even open the app we are enabling the attention economy that is growing those monopolies.
🎀 So what can I do? 🎀
When faced with a challenging issue we all scramble to feel like there’s something we can do about it no matter how small. We all want to feel like we are part of the solution, not a part of the problem & that we are living a life that aligns with our values.
In activism we often see shame tactics employed to make people comply with what is believed to be more ethical practice. This can play a part, but ultimately it feeds into the individualism that enables capitalism to begin with. Raising awareness & signalling more ethical alternatives is a far more useful tool that brings people together.
Some positive ways to engage include:
Checking BDS lists regularly
Setting your own targets for focussed boycotts that can work for you
Learning more about activism/following activist groups such a BDS, Palestine Solidarity UK, War on Want
Following non traditional media sources like Novara Media, Upstream & UK Factcheck Politics
Understanding your protest rights https://greenandblackcross.org/get-involved/workshops/
Getting involved wherever possible
Amplifying the messages, people, projects & institutions that resound with you
Should you decide boycotting Spotify feels like the right move for you then removing your music is very simple, as is cancelling your subscriptions. Making this known is also a very important part of the boycott as this helps inspire others to understand the reasons for the boycott & encourages them to make similar moves. The more artists & users that leave the platform the less value it has - your solidarity has real material impacts.
The founders of Bands Boycott Spotify have created some templates here to help amplify the message: https://drive.proton.me/urls/2JMS44JW3R#4CdtuguWfXjb
🎀 Buycotting & the importance of community 🎀
In addition to all of the above, buycotting is a very valid way to ensure your labour is channelled into the people & institutions that match your values & that together we are all strengthened & raised. Why? Because we are all worth/deliver more value than 0.003 per listen & we know it.
When you start a band, write music, buy from local labels, create & consume art, go to shows - you are participating in & creating culture, nurturing voices that cannot be stamped out & building communities that eradicate the exact thing that capitalism needs to survive - isolation.
In isolation we are all treading water just to survive against a tide that is built to swallow us. Our voices cannot be heard through this mechanism. In community we build an unstoppable force against that tide - & that is far more powerful than any corporate infographic.
xoxo
