Spotify, the world’s leading music streaming platform, is facing intense criticism and boycott calls following CEO Daniel Ek’s announcement of a €600m ($702m) investment in Helsing, a German defence startup specialising in AI-powered combat drones and military software.
The move, announced on 17 June, has sparked widespread outrage from musicians, activists and social media users who accuse Ek of funnelling profits from music streaming into the military industry.
Many have started calling on users to cancel their subscriptions to the service.
“Finally cancelling my Spotify subscription – why am I paying for a fuckass app that works worse than it did 10 years ago, while their CEO spends all my money on technofascist military fantasies?” said one user on X.
What are the Spotify alternatives people recommend?
Apple music believe it or not. Nice selection and interface. Works on Apple devices as well as android. Has a high bitrate and supports aptx on android. Don’t think they have a native app for windows or Linux, though, so you’d have to use the web version.
This is where I’d have recommended deezer, but they shit the bed on their mobile app.
+1 for tidal
Qobuz is great. It’s a french company, they pay the artists well and the music is in high quality
IIRC Tidal and Qobuz should be good alternatives
Qoobuz had the most horrific app I’ve ever experienced.
Couldn’t even search a song in a playlist bad.
If you’re technically inclined, self-host navidrome or jellyfin.
If you just want music and don’t care about the streaming part, bandcamp (although it does have some basic streaming I believe.
If you want streaming and aren’t technically inclined, Tidal.
Qobuz
Tidal is cheaper and better quality, Deezer is good, too.
Napster, bearshare
Funkwhale
I have been using Deezer because it was local for me, France. At the beginning you could upload your own collection to share with others, it was fun. Now it’s basically the same as the others, I think it pays artists a little bit more than Spotify. Also just learned that it is now majorly owned by some US investment fund. 🫠 At least it’s not directly funding terminators yet?