North Carolinian electro pop duo Sylvan Esso have announced that a year after withdrawing their music from Spotify, they are – very reluctantly – putting it back on.
They were a number of artists who pulled their music from the platform after the news that CEO Daniel Ek had invested € 600 million (£ 524 million) into Helsing, a company that develops drones and AI for use in warfare.
Now singer Amelia Meath has posted a heavy-hearted video on Instagram saying that although being off Spotify has “felt really good, it’s also been incredibly hard. It’s been hard in ways we knew were coming and in ways that we hadn’t predicted.”
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She didn’t elaborate on that but said, “It’s become more and more apparent that if we are going to continue to employ everyone that we employ, it is unsustainable for us not to be on that platform, so we are going to put it back up on there.”
“Here is what I want you to know,” she said, “Nick and I, (our) political views have not changed. We do not want to support the business of war. But I’d rather you didn’t listen to our music on there. Please don’t.”
Sylvan Esso’s move is deeply revealing. The duo released their fifth album since their 2014 debut, entitled Ow, last week and have a small but loyal following. They’re the epitome of a mid-range band that, in another era, would have possibly gently flourished for a few years on a major or found a more conducive (and long-term?) home on a prominent indie. These days such outfits all too often end up releasing music on their own labels (in Sylvan Esso’s case, Psychic Hotline) and are essentially at the mercy of Spotify and their notoriously stingy royalties.
“I get that Spotify is where 82% of streaming happens, but I don’t like it,” Meath said. “I don’t fucking like it. And I’m really frustrated, but this is the reality. This is the financial reality right now.”
Capitalism, eh?
Meath ended by thanking fans who had supported the band not being on the platform and encouraged their following to access their music on Bandcamp, Qobuz, Subvert or at their local record store.
Talking of which, the duo are at Rough Trade East tonight (21 September) and play a gig at a secret London location on Thursday. More details can be found at their website here.
If you like their music, go and support them. Say hello. Buy a record. Be the change you want to see.
