MJ Lenderman, King Krule, Arca, MIKE, Yaeji, and More Join Campaign to Block Their Music From Streaming in Israel

MJ Lenderman, King Krule, Arca, Massive Attack, MIKE, and Yaeji are amongst greater than 400 artists and labels who’ve signed as much as a marketing campaign asking distributors to dam their music from streaming in Israel. An announcement from No Music for Genocide rallies extra artists and labels to affix the cultural embargo, in protest of “Israel’s genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleaning of the Occupied West Financial institution; apartheid inside Israel,” and the repression of pro-Palestine activism, in addition to the music business’s personal hyperlinks to army instruments. In a separate assertion, Large Assault introduced they’d remove their music from Spotify globally.

Different artists to enroll to No Music for Genocide embody Fontaines D.C., Oklou, Wednesday, Kelela, Faye Webster, Japanese Breakfast, Rina Sawayama, Aminé, Erika de Casier, Kneecap, Primal Scream, Eartheater, Aja Monet, Maryam Saleh, Ana Tijoux, Annahstasia, Amyl and the Sniffers, Nadah El Shazly, Ben Howard, Fats Tony, Model Pussy, Liv.e, Mø, Mechatok, Redveil, Horsegiirl, Chanel Beads, Nick León, Escho, Saul Williams, and Verraco. Bayonet, 10k, and Pan are among the many labels becoming a member of the embargo.

In line with the marketing campaign, all three main labels geo-blocked their catalogs from streaming companies in Russia inside a month of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These labels did close offices and suspend operations in Russia, and Spotify shut down in Russia altogether. However Russians may nonetheless stream the labels’ music on platforms, like Apple Music, that remained in operation. In late 2022, Sony Music Leisure finally pulled its catalog from all streaming companies in Russia.

An announcement from No Music for Genocide reads, partially, “Tradition can’t cease bombs by itself, however it may assist reject political repression, shift public opinion towards justice, and refuse the art-washing and normalization of any firm or nation that commits crimes in opposition to humanity. This initiative is one a part of a worldwide motion to erode the help Israel must proceed its genocide. We’re impressed by the escalating efforts in pursuit of that aim, from the latest Film Workers for Palestine pledge to Spain’s ban of Israel-bound ships and planes to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard to dockworkers in Morocco who’ve refused to load weapons onto vessels ordered by Tel Aviv.”