An ethical guide to quitting Spotify

In part two of our Drowned in Sound podcast series on the Spotify exodus, Sean Adams sits down with Alexa Speed (founder of Cut Off The Spigot), and artist Kadhja Bonet alongside returning guest Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) to unpack the growing backlash against Spotify and other streaming giants.

From Spotify’s billion-dollar AI investments and Daniel Ek’s controversial war drone ventures to the ethics of billionaire ownership and music’s place in post-capitalist culture, Sean and this week’s guests dive into the details and ask what happens when artists say enough is enough.

We hear why Kadhja pulled her music from Spotify, how Alexa interrogates corporate influence behind streaming platforms, and what the alternatives are (including Bandcamp, Qobuz and more). We also imagine a future where creativity and community outweigh convenience, and where art is valued for its inherent social good, not algorithmic profitability. Far-fetched? Let’s find out.

Edited by:

Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio (dubbleaudio.com)

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: The Spotify Exodus

03:15 – Why Artists Are Leaving Streaming Platforms

08:45 – Daniel Ek’s Investments in AI and Defence Tech

13:20 – The Ethics of Streaming: Profit vs Planet

18:05 – Billionaires, Protest, and Power

22:40 – Kadhja Bonet: Why I Pulled My Music from Spotify

27:55 – Laura Burhenn on Journalism, Accountability & Platforms

34:10 – Alternatives: Bandcamp, Qobuz, and Ethical Listening

40:00 – The Role of Joy and Dance in Resistance

46:45 – Building a Post-Capitalist Music Culture

52:30 – What Comes After Spotify?

57:00 – Closing Reflections & Future Visions

Try Qobuz (Ethical Streaming Alternative):

Artists get paid 10x more than Spotify. Human-curated playlists. High-quality audio.Start your free trial via DiS (awin1.com/cread.php?s=3234640&v=33439&…) (supporting independent music journalism).

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Head to the Drowned in Sound community (community.drownedinsound.com) to chat about the topics in this episode.

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Links & Mentions

• Cut Off The Spigot (cutoffthespigot.substack.com)

• Kadhja Bonet on Bandcamp (kadhjabonet.bandcamp.com/music)

• Kadhja Bonet on Instagram (instagram.com/kadhjabonet)

• The Mynabirds (themynabirds.org)

• Laura Burhenn on Instagram (instagram.com/lauramynabird)

• Flashes (Bluesky app) (bsky.app/profile/did:plc:24kqkpfy6z7avtgu3qg57…)

• Ghost: The Social Web (ghost.org/help/social-web)

• The Verge on Ghost 6 and the Social Web (theverge.com/news/718286/ghost-6-update-social…)