University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Doi
Abstract
Since its launch in 2008, the Swedish-based audio streaming service Spotify has transformed how consumers experience music. During the same time, Spotify collaborated with social justice activists as a means of philanthropy and brand management. Focusing on two playlists intended to promote the Black Lives Matter movement (2013–) and support protests against the U.S. “Muslim Ban” (2017–2020), this thesis explores how Spotify’s curators and artists navigate the tensions between activism and capitalism as they advocate for social justice. Drawing upon Ramón Grosfoguel’s concept of subversive complicity (2003), I show how artists and curators help promote Spotify’s progressive image and bottom line while utilizing the company’s massive platform to draw attention to the people and causes they care most about by amplifying their messages.Master of Art
