r/Music • u/warwickd • Oct 30 '25

music Don't Stream Fascism: No Kings Organizers Encourage Spotify Boycott Over ICE Ads

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/no-kings-organizers-spotify-boycott-21127453.php
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u/Commemorative-Banana Oct 30 '25

Remember, in times of conflict all for-profit media repeats the ruling party's information. Therefore all for-profit media becomes state-run.

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u/PhasmaFelis Nov 01 '25

There are plenty of for-profit media groups speaking against Trump, though.

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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '25

That was not written in an age of mass media decentralization in which anyone can distribute basically any type of media with a few clicks

That song was also, like, sold for profit. I first heard that record at a record store lol. It nearly charted top 40 on the indie charts

That's why I never really got into them. Too many lyrics that blatantly undercut the reality of who they are and what they do

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u/Commemorative-Banana Oct 30 '25 edited Oct 30 '25

The quote is consistent with your first comment, even if you don’t like the messenger.

That was not written in an age of mass media decentralization in which anyone can distribute basically any type of media with a few clicks

Fair, and important to keep in mind how media technology changes over time, but this thread is about centralized corporate media advertising, e.g. Spotify/MSM. Even if you look at less-centralized spaces, like Twitch or the Rogansphere, they are still filled with edgy soulless grifters repeating state propaganda for fame or fortune.

That song was also, like, sold for profit… at a record store… blatantly undercut the reality of who they are and what they do

A couple perspectives I can offer here.

1) The hegemony of capitalism is inescapable. Everyone has to eat to survive, and that requires engaging with our economy. Furthermore, an experienced anti-capitalist knows that financial success enables them to spread their message further. Done carefully, that doesn’t invalidate the message.

2) Depending on your definition of “profit”, selling your own artwork may not qualify. The record label profits from the labor of the artist. The record store profits from the labor of the artist. The artist earned that value by creating it. Marx’s definition of “profit” refers to the excess value appropriated by the employer/capitalist after paying market wages to the laborers.