I Pulled My Music from Spotify Today. Here's Why.

Spotify was never essential to my career - my niche is composing for TV, film, and other media. Despite their laughably low royalties, I kept my music there so anyone could listen. This week, however, I experienced firsthand why Spotify is a liability for independent artists: I removed my music from the platform effective immediately. It’s still available for purchase and streaming elsewhere.

Here’s what happened. My distributor sent a letter about a “fine” from Spotify for “illegal streams.” One minute of digging revealed that a track of mine had been added without my knowledge to a Wavr playlist scam. These services sell “playlist promotion” using bot-generated plays, sprinkling in legitimate artists to look normal. Spotify acknowledges this happens often - but there’s no recourse. Reporting the playlist does nothing. The fine stands, and my entire album was removed.

Spotify doesn’t pursue the scammers. Instead, innocent artists are penalized, while major-label acts remain untouchable. The fine itself was small, but the liability is unlimited. This is a system designed to treat independent musicians as disposable collateral.

Spotify may be the streaming giant, but the exodus is growing. Artists deserve more than fractions of a cent in royalties—and fines for crimes we didn’t commit. With news of CEO Daniel Ek’s questionable investments in AI warfare, plus lawsuits over underpaid royalties, it’s clear who’s playing the Bond villain here. I’m just the latest to drop them - and I won’t be the last.

Support independent artists: buy music if you can. If you must stream, choose platforms that aren’t plotting world domination - or targeting 007.