“Death to Spotify” movement urges artists and fans to quit the platform

A new online movement called “Death to Spotify” is calling on musicians and music fans to abandon the streaming giant, The Guardian reports.

Activists accuse Spotify of exploiting artists and paying them unfairly low royalties. As part of the campaign, organizers are urging musicians to remove their catalogs from the platform, while fans are being asked to cancel their subscriptions and delete their accounts.

“We just want everyone to think a little bit harder about the ways they listen to music” the movement’s organizers said, arguing that their protest aims to push the industry toward fairer, more sustainable business models.

According to the campaign, an artist needs roughly 1,000 streams to earn just one dollar. They cite Bandcamp as an example of a fairer alternative, where musicians receive 82% of revenue from sales.

The movement also claims that 70% of Spotify users are on the free tier, further reducing already modest payouts to artists.