Image: Wikipedia
By Thabo Rammila
Spotify's Betrayal of the Creator Economy.
For years, we’ve had a complicated relationship with Spotify. As artists, we’ve uploaded our work, tracked our microscopic royalty payments, and fought to understand the algorithms that could make or break our careers. We’ve accepted the narrative that this was the price of admission to the global stage. We provide the art, the soul, the content that powers the entire machine. In return, we get fractions of a cent and a sliver of hope.
We thought we understood the deal. We didn't.
Recently, the quiet part was said out loud, not with a press release, but with a bank transfer. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment firm, Prima Materia, has poured hundreds of millions into a military AI company called Helsing—a company that develops AI-powered software for fighter jets, tanks, and other instruments of war. While reports vary, the scale of investment is staggering, part of a larger billion-dollar pledge from Ek to fund European "moonshots," including defense tech.
Let’s be clear about where that money came from. It came from the streaming economy. It came from the value generated by your music, your podcast, your creative work. It came from a system that already pays most artists next to nothing.
This isn’t just a bad look. It’s a low blow. It's a profound betrayal of the very people who give the platform its value.
Who Are the Players in This Ugly Narrative?
On one side, you have us: the creators. The songwriters, musicians, producers, and podcasters who pour our hearts, time, and money into our craft. We are the foundation of Spotify’s entire business model. Without our art, Spotify is just an empty app.
On the other side, you have Spotify, led by CEO Daniel Ek. For years, the platform has positioned itself as a partner to artists—a necessary, if flawed, gateway to reaching fans. Ek himself has often spoken about the future of the creator economy.
But his actions tell a different story. Through his investment firm, he’s now a major player in Helsing, a German company that proudly states its mission is to use artificial intelligence to "serve our democracies." In practice, this means building real-time data analysis for military operations. AI to make warfare more efficient.
The money funding this venture is wealth generated by Spotify’s success. It is, by extension, wealth generated from our collective creative output.
The Sickening Irony of the Artist Economy.
Think about the math for a moment. An artist might need a quarter of a million streams just to earn around $1,000. We fight for playlist placements, promote our work tirelessly, and hope to cobble together enough to pay rent or buy new equipment. We are told, again and again, that the pool of money is limited, that this is just how the new music economy works.
And yet, there seems to be hundreds of millions of dollars available to fund the development of military technology.
The value is being siphoned directly from the creative well to fill a military one. The platform that profits from songs of peace, love, protest, and human connection is now financially entangled with the technology of conflict and destruction. The irony is as staggering as it is sickening. It reveals a deep cultural and ethical disconnect at the very top.
Can We Trust Them With Our Craft?
This brings us to the most fundamental question of all: How can we, as creators, trust a platform that uses the fruits of our labor to fund an industry so antithetical to the values many of us hold?
Music has always been a force for change, a voice for the voiceless, and a tool for peace. From protest songs that defined generations to simple love songs that heal a broken heart, our art is fundamentally about connection. To know that the ecosystem built on this foundation is now investing in the machinery of division and violence feels like a deep violation.
This isn't a simple business investment; it's a statement of priorities. It tells us, in no uncertain terms, that the art is merely a means to an end. The ultimate goal isn't to build a sustainable future for creators, but to accumulate capital to be deployed in sectors like defense technology. We aren't partners; we are fuel.
It's Time to Change the Narrative.
Are we happy with this? Are we content to be cogs in a machine that profits from our creativity on one end and invests in defense AI on the other?
The answer must be a resounding no.
This moment should serve as a wake-up call for the entire creative community. We must question the platforms we depend on and demand more transparency and accountability. We must challenge the narrative that we should be grateful for the pennies we receive while the platforms that host our work make deals in the billions.
Our craft is not a commodity to be exploited. It is the expression of our humanity. It’s time we demanded that the businesses built on our art start acting like it.
Our music deserves a better home. Our art deserves better.
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