Spotify says advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruitment do not violate the company’s policies. Leftist musicians and record labels are predictably melting down in response.
Several artists have recently been trying to get their music taken down from Spotify in protest of the company allowing ICE recruitment ads to play on the streaming platform, according to a report by Stereogum.
Some of the artists reportedly include Massive Attack, Sylvan Esso, and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, with many of them also citing Spotify founder Daniel Ek having invested in the AI military company Helsing.
But artists have also specifically mentioned the ads promoting jobs in law enforcement, with independent music label Epitaph Records complaining about them last week in a social media post calling for Spotify to “remove these ads immediately.”
“Epitaph joins others in the independent music community calling on Spotify to remove ICE recruitment ads,” the record label said, adding, “Artists and fans deserve platforms that reflect the values of the culture their sustain.”
The hardcore emo band Thursday shared similar sentiments, demanding the company “remove any and all” ICE recruitment ads from its platform, “immediately.”
“Thursday is an independent band and we join the wider independent musical community calling upon Spotify to remove any and all ICE recruitment advertising from its platform,” the band said.
Thursday went on to urge others to join them in “publicly” pressuring Spotify to “remove all ICE advertising,” proclaiming, “A single voice is tiny but collective action is mighty.”
A Spotify spokesperson, meanwhile, told the Independent that the ICE advertisements are “part of a broad campaign the U.S. government is running across television, streaming, and online channels,” adding that the ads do not violate the company’s policies.
The spokesperson also conveyed that Spotify users who do not wish to see such content are free to mark the advertisements with a thumbs-down — which would apparently make it so the ads appear less often or not at all on their personal feeds.
Spotify users who on the free, ad-supported tier on the platform have reportedly noted getting ads in between music that encourages them to “join the mission to protect America” by applying to become an ICE agent.
Some advertisements are reportedly marketed toward police, stating, “In sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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