A prominent Māori musician is making headlines after pulling his entire catalogue from Spotify.
Tiki Taane, of Ngāti Maniapoto, says the streaming giant’s business practices and recent investments go against his values.
Taane, who’s been on Spotify for over a decade, says the platform’s low payouts and unfair treatment of independent artists have long been a concern.
But the final straw came when Spotify’s CEO invested in a German AI defense company.
“…when it was announced that the CEO of Spotify is investing the money that he’s made from my music, everyone else’s music, plus the subscription money that people pay. He’s using that to invest into a wartech company that make drones and all sorts of stuff, which essentially is going to hurt and murder and kill people…” says Taane.
Taane says he’s now focusing on more ethical platforms and encourages other artists to reconsider where their music is streamed.
“It’s a whānau decision. We’re all like, this isn’t right. I can’t be singing music, songs about freedom, standing up for your rights, liberation, revolutionary stuff… and still have my music on the platform that goes against everything I sing about. That is kaupapa Māori right there. It’s like, nah, it’s not happening,” says Taane.
Tiki Taane hopes his move will inspire both artists and listeners to think critically about where their money goes.
