Björk joins No Music For Genocide campaign and removes catalogue from streaming in Israel

Björk has joined the ‘No Music For Genocide’ campaign, making her back catalogue unavailable on streaming services in Israel.

The new campaign is a cultural boycott initiative encouraging artists and rights-holders to pull their music from streaming platforms in Israel in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

To join the coalition, the artists involved have edited their own release territories or sent geo-block requests to their distributor or label. They are encouraging major label groups Sony, UMG, and Warner to follow suit, particularly as they blocked their entire catalogues from and closed operations in Russia a month into their invasion of Ukraine.

Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., Amyl & The Sniffers, and Kneecap were among the leading names to join the initiative last week, as well as Paramore, Rina Sawayama, MIKE, Primal Scream, Faye Webster, Japanese Breakfast, Yaeji, King Krule, MJ Lenderman, Mannequin Pussy, Wednesday, Soccer Mommy and MØ.

Now, it appears that the Icelandic singer-songwriter has become the latest big name to join the campaign. The Times Of Israel reported on Sunday (September 21) that her music was unavailable to people living in Israel on Spotify and Apple Music.

Björk has been outspoken in her advocacy for the Palestinian people in the past, posting on Instagram in November 2023 a series of maps of the Israel-Palestine region since 1946, writing, “Is this what you call sharing?”

A statement from ‘No Music For Genocide’ stated: “Culture can’t stop bombs on its own, but it can help reject political repression, shift public opinion toward justice, and refuse the art-washing and normalization of any company or nation that commits crimes against humanity.

“This initiative is one part of a worldwide movement to erode the support Israel needs to continue its genocide. We’re inspired by the escalating efforts in pursuit of that goal, from the recent Film Workers For Palestine pledge to Spain’s ban of Israel-bound ships and planes to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard to dockworkers in Morocco who’ve refused to load weapons onto vessels ordered by Tel Aviv.

“Many of our peers have felt, like ourselves, unsure how to use music in this moment. Our first goal with No Music For Genocide is to inspire others to reclaim their agency and direct their influence toward a tangible act. We are so grateful for all of the artists, managers and labels who have already committed to this first step, and we’re excited to expand this together. The more of us there are, the stronger we will be. This is just the beginning.”

Björk has been vocal about other geopolitical issues during her career, notably in support of Tibetan independence. At a concert in Shanghai, China in 2008, she said from the stage, “Tibet, Tibet!”, and asked the audience to raise their flags during her track ‘Declare Independence’.

Her comments caused outrage among Chinese officials, to which she replied at the time: “It shows more than anything that China has become the next superpower in the world. And the issue is: how are they going to deal with Western moral issues like freedom of speech?”