Sabres of Paradise remove music from Spotify: “Its model undervalues artists”

The Sabres of Paradise have removed their entire music catalogue from Spotify, citing undervaluation of artists and its financial ties to AI military firm Helsing.

In a statement signed by members Jag Kooner, Gary Burns, and the late Andrew Weatherall, the group said they made the decision after “careful consideration” to pull all their music from the platform.

“This hasn’t been made lightly,” they said in an Instagram post shared yesterday (November 10), thanking their record label, Warp, for “standing with us” and “supporting our choice with full integrity”.

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“We can’t continue to support a platform whose model undervalues artists, underserves listeners, and whose leadership’s financial ties to AI-driven weapon technologies go against everything we believe music should stand for,” they said.

In June, Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek led a €600 million investment into Helsing, a start-up company specialising in AI military software.

Following backlash over the move, with artists including Massive Attack, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and Dutch label Kalahari Oyster Cult all pulling their music from the platform as a result, Ek revealed that he would step down as CEO in January 2026.

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The streaming giant’s current co-presidents, Chief Business Officer Alex Norström and Chief product and technology officer Gustav Söderström, will become co-CEOS as of January 1.

“Music should inspire, connect, and uplift – not fund or align with industries that contradict those values. Our music will still be available on other platforms and independent outlets that, in our view, better reflect our principles,” they concluded.

Read the full statement below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter