Spotify, a music streaming service, is facing a growing wave of user boycotts and artist pushback following a series of controversies involving artificial intelligence and federal immigration advertisements. Meanwhile, their competitor Bandcamp doubles down as a platform that prioritizes human-centered connection.
Bandcamp, an online record store popular with independent artists, officially announced a total ban on AI-generated music on January 13, 2026. The company’s new policy prohibits any audio “generated wholly or in substantial part by AI” and restricts the use of AI tools to impersonate other artists.
“Bandcamp’s mission is to help spread the healing power of music by building a community where artists thrive through the direct support of their fans,” the company said in an official statement. “We believe that the human connection found through music is a vital part of our society and culture, and that music is much more than a product to be consumed.”
Bandcamp's decision contrasts sharply with Spotify, which has been criticized by users for allowing its “DiscoverWeekly” and “Release Radar” playlists to be populated with low-quality, algorithmically generated tracks that often mimic existing artists.
The dissatisfaction reached a boiling point in late 2025 when Spotify began running recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While Spotify confirmed in early January that the ICE ads had ceased running due to backlash, a spokesperson told Mashable the campaign ended simply because the government contract had expired. According to The Independent, Spotify defended the ads as compliant with its advertising policies, noting they were part of a “broad campaign” across many media platforms.
The controversy has pushed some artists to pull their music entirely. The post-hardcore band Thursday and labels like Epitaph Records have publicly called for platforms to better reflect the values of the music community.
“Artists and fans deserve platforms that reflect the values of the culture they sustain,” Epitaph Records wrote in a recent social media post.
Adding to the friction is Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s personal investment in Helsing, a military AI defense company. Critics argue that the platform’s reliance on AI algorithms and its leadership ties to military technology are at odds with the creative spirit of the music industry.
Despite the boycotts, Spotify has maintained a large portion of its loyal listeners, reporting 281 million premium subscribers by the end of 2025.
For now, Bandcamp is encouraging users to use its reporting tools to flag suspected AI content, taking an opposite approach to Spotify.
“We reserve the right to remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated ... We are fortifying our mission so that fans have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans,” the company said in a public statement.
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash
