Massive Attack have formally requested that their catalogue be removed from Spotify in all territories in protest at the company’s chief executive, Daniel Ek, investing €600 million in Helsing, a military artificial intelligence company.

In June, Mr. Ek’s investment vehicle Prima Materia led Helsing’s recent funding round.

Helsing develops software that analyses sensor and weapons-system data in battle, creates the HX-2 military drone, and uses AI integrated into military aircraft.

Mr. Ek also serves as chairman of Helsing.

The band made the announcement at the same time as joining the initiative “No Music for Genocide,” in which more than four hundred artists and labels are boycotting streaming services in Israel.

Massive Attack emphasised that their Spotify removal is a separate move, driven by moral concern over the ethical implications of artists’ earnings supporting technologies capable of lethal force.

In their statement, they said: “Unconnected to this initiative and in light of the (reported) significant investments by its CEO in a company producing military munition drones and AI technology integrated into fighter aircraft, Massive Attack have made a separate request.

that our music be removed from the Spotify streaming service in all territories..

Enough is more than enough.

Another way is possible”.

Spotify responded by emphasising that it and Helsing are entirely separate entities.

A company spokesperson said that Helsing is not involved in Gaza and that its technology is focused on Europe’s defence in Ukraine.

Helsing also issued a statement to deny deployment in warzones beyond Ukraine, stating that its technology “is deployed to European countries for deterrence and for defence against the Russian aggression in Ukraine only”.

Massive Attack are the first major-label act to take this step.

They join a growing list of independent and smaller acts—including King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Godspeed You!

Black Emperor, Hotline TNT, Deerhoof and Manchester band Wu Lyf—in removing their music from Spotify over similar ethical objections.

Those acts have sometimes moved their catalogues to Bandcamp or asked distributors to geo-block releases in certain territories.

Unlike many of the independent acts, Massive Attack cannot make use of platforms like Bandcamp to host their full catalogue, since such platforms are available only to artists on independent labels.

The “No Music for Genocide” campaign also includes artists such as Rina Sawayama, John Glacier, MJ Lenderman, Amyl and the Sniffers, Erika de Casier, Wednesday, Smerz, Yaeji and Faye Webster, who have edited their release territories or asked distributors or labels to block their releases in Israel.

In expanding on their action in an Instagram post, Massive Attack drew historical parallels with the anti-apartheid artist actions in South Africa, describing complicity with what they call “the apartheid, war crimes and genocide now being committed by the state of Israel” as unacceptable.

They appealed to fellow musicians to use their sadness and anger to fuel “coherent, reasonable & vital action” against suffering in Gaza.

The band also noted threats of legal pressure and censorship faced by some artists within the campaign.

This action has stirred debate within the music industry about the role of streaming platforms in funding or enabling military technologies via their leadership’s investments, and about artists' ability to respond ethically.

Spotify defends its separation from Helsing, but for Massive Attack and many others, the issue is one of principle: they contend that fans’ payments and creators’ work should not indirectly support lethal autonomous systems or weapons deployment abroad.