Welcome to Season 6! In Part Two of our Spotify saga, things get MUCH darker. If you thought underpaying musicians and overpaying Joe Rogan was bad, wait until you hear about the military drones, ICE recruitment ads, and the AI-generated music flooding the platform.

This is the story of how a music streaming company became a weapons investor, government propagandist, and AI content farm, all while claiming they can't afford to pay artists more.

⚠️ REMINDER: We're still hosted on Spotify's platform. This is basically career suicide at this point, but we're committed to the bit.

The AI Apocalypse:

• Spotify's secret "Perfect Fit Content" program: commissioning fake artists to avoid paying real musicians since 2016

• How AI tools like Suno and Udio flooded Spotify with millions of fake tracks

• Aventhis: The "verified artist" with 1 million monthly listeners whose entire catalogue is AI-generated (57 tracks in 4 months!)

• Why your Discover Weekly is now filled with AI slop instead of actual human musicians

• Deezer implements AI detection tools. Spotify's response? crickets

Spotify Goes to War:

• Daniel Ek's €700 million ($800 million) personal investment in Helsing, an AI military weapons company

• How the CEO of a music platform became chairman of a company developing drone warfare technology

• Artists pull their catalogues in protest: Deerhoof, Massive Attack (possible Banksy collaborators!), and more

• The brutal irony: "We can't afford to pay musicians more" but somehow there's $700 million for battlefield AI

• Daniel Ek's defence: "AI, mass and autonomy are driving the new battlefield" (yes, really)

The ICE Recruitment Scandal:

• Spotify runs U.S. government ads with phrases like "millions of dangerous illegals are rampaging the streets"

• Users get ICE recruitment propaganda between their favourite songs

• Spotify's defence: "We're just following orders" (a historically great excuse!)

• The #BoycottSpotify movement becomes a quarterly tradition

• Oh, and Spotify donated $150,000 to Trump's 2025 inauguration

The Swedish Tax Rebel:

• Daniel Ek's 2016 open letter threatening to move Spotify out of Sweden

• "The country that gave me free healthcare and education wants me to pay taxes? Outrageous!"

• How Sweden actually reformed its laws to accommodate billionaires... and Ek STILL complained

• The wealth tax that cost Sweden $166 billion in capital flight

The Good Stuff (Because Balance):

• Yes, Spotify democratized music access (100+ million songs for $10/month is incredible)

• The Partner Program actually helps small-to-mid-size podcasters earn decent money

• Spotify paid out $10 billion to the industry in 2024 (10x more than in 2014)

• The algorithm genuinely helps people discover new artists

• ...But does any of this excuse the rest?

The Future:

• Daniel Ek steps down as CEO in January 2026 (but stays as Executive Chairman, pulling the strings)

• Can Spotify maintain profitability while fighting Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon?

• Will governments regulate AI-generated music?

• Can Spotify's brand recover from Joe Rogan + military drones + ICE ads + underpaid artists?

Want to actually support artists?

• Buy their music directly

• Go to their concerts

• Buy their merch

• Download, don't just stream

• If you stream, loop their songs on repeat (300 streams = 1 album sale)

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Artist: Sarah Chey

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Animation: Daniel Wilson

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Music: Andrew Wilson

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