Amid a hiatus that the Mexican band Café Tacvba began at the end of 2024, vocalist Rubén Albarrán reappeared last week (Jan. 7) on social media to publicly make a request on behalf of the group to its former record labels, Universal Music and Warner Music Mexico: to remove their catalog from Spotify, arguing that the platform “contravenes their artistic principles.”
The request from the famous rock quartet, also composed of Emmanuel del Real (keyboards), Joselo Rangel (guitar), and Quique Rangel (bass) — an unprecedented move in the Latin American music scene until then — refers to ethical concerns over “reprehensible” actions by the streaming company, such as investments in weaponry and propaganda for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and questions the royalty distribution model and the use of AI.
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“It’s time to raise our voices,” Albarrán tells Billboard Español in an interview in Mexico City. “I’ve received opinions that asking for our music to be taken off Spotify is an attack on ourselves as musicians. And what I respond is that, as musicians, we are trying to use our platforms to speak out about what we find morally reprehensible.”
An eight-time Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-Award-winning group, Café Tacvba was formed in 1989 and is one of the most influential bands in Spanish-language music, with 7.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify at present.
Spotify Mexico responded to Albarrán on January 8 in a message shared with Billboard Español via email, stating that “Spotify does not finance war. Helsing is an independent company that has been supplying defense technology to Ukraine. Additionally, there are currently no ICE ads on Spotify; the mentioned advertisement was part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that was broadcast on major media outlets and platforms. Spotify is a platform for music, and our AI policy focuses on protecting human artists from clones and fraud.” The company added that it is “proud that Café Tacvba’s music has generated millions of dollars on Spotify over the years.”
The Mexican band’s request to remove their catalog from Spotify follows similar efforts from global acts such as Massive Attack, Björk, and Lorde, with each of those acts’ music still being available on the platform.
Albarrán reflects on the reactions sparked by the group’s stance on the digital platform and opens the conversation about the use of music in a context beyond its cultural vocation.
A week after the band made their request to leave Spotify public, what do you think about the reactions this decision has triggered?
I think that’s what’s important, is that a conversation is generated… Many people who are unaware of the actions of this corporation can become informed, and also learn about the reasons why we are requesting that Café Tacvba’s catalog be removed from the platform. I believe all of that is beneficial, that people see that we as musicians are trying to use our platform to speak out about what we find morally reprehensible. Opening the dialogue — that’s the best part of it all.
Have you received a response from your former record labels about the request?
So far, we haven’t received a response. And I want to clarify: we’re not confronting the record labels; we’re confronting Spotify because it’s the corporation that is acting in this way. We have a responsibility to the agreements we signed through contracts with both companies. When we signed a contract, we gave away the rights to exploit our songs, our music, and it’s the labels who, in turn, contract with digital platforms. They are the ones who must remove our catalog. We can’t do it directly. People might think it’s an automatic process, but it’s not. It’s a procedure that will take time, but we hope it will work in our favor.
Did you read Spotify’s response to the group’s statement?
Yes. It seems to me that they are trying to create controversy where there isn’t any, denying things the way politicians do, denying the indefensible. In that sense, what Spotify is saying is indefensible. Something I believe is that music must accompany people, communities, give them strength, energy, especially in difficult times like the ones we’re living in. What their former CEO, Daniel Ek, does, using the money he earns from the effort of millions and millions of musicians to invest in military technology, is almost like a magic trick — but dark magic. It’s a millionaire elite attacking and violating people; that’s not right, no matter how you look at it.
Also, in their response, Spotify says there are no longer ICE ads on the platform, even though they previously said they wouldn’t remove ICE advertising because it didn’t violate their policies. Now they’ve done so because they’re seeing the scale of the problem after the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis by ICE agents.
Will your other band, Los K’comxtles, also request to be removed from Spotify?
Yes, we’re also in talks. We had a meeting with the directors of our label, Faro Latino. Although it’s a small, independent aggregator, we encountered resistance to our stance. So far, we haven’t submitted the letter — but we will in the coming days to set a precedent, and we’ll wait for the platform’s response.
What’s your response to the platform when they say Café Tacvba’s music has generated millions of dollars over the years?
Who better than us, the musicians, to know how much we receive in royalties? It’s far from being millions of dollars. That’s not the case, and maybe they’re the ones keeping that money. With what they pay artists and the abuse toward musicians, there’s no way to have an honorable life, no matter what Spotify says they pay. Those claims that Café Tacvba’s music generates millions of dollars — they should prove it.
How long did it take the group to agree on this decision? Café Tacvba is currently on a sabbatical year…
Precisely because we’re on a sabbatical year, it was something complex that took time, and we reached a consensus, for which I’m very grateful to my bandmates. In Café Tacvba, we have different opinions, but as a group, we believe it’s important to take a stand — because we know the space and place we occupy in people’s hearts, what our music means to them, and we can’t turn a blind eye to the injustices we are experiencing as a society and pretend nothing is happening.
But the call isn’t just for artists; it’s also for users who can also make a change. This process is long, tedious, heavy — it’s about confronting companies, confronting company executives, confronting Spotify. But users can make it easier if they cancel their subscription in just 20 minutes. I hope that musicians and the public can become aware and, together, make a big change.
When will the band end their hiatus and return to the stage?
We think that this pause could end in the middle of this year, but it could also be extended. Each of us is enjoying a moment where the speed, the workload we’ve carried in other years, is now harder for us; it weighs more. We’re also slowing down a bit — and I like that because, in the face of what we’re living through, the answer is to slow down.
