‘No Music For Genocide’ Initiative Gains Momentum as Sakamoto Estate Follows Björk and Massive Attack
TOKYO, Japan: The estate of legendary Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has joined the growing “No Music For Genocide” campaign, announcing the removal of the late artist’s music from all streaming services in Israel.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the estate confirmed: “To the extent possible, the Estate has removed or issued formal requests to labels to remove his music from all DSP (streaming and download) services in Israel. For much of his catalog, this has already taken effect.”
The move is in direct response to what the initiative calls the “genocide in Gaza.” Sakamoto’s estate joins more than 400 artists who have endorsed the cultural boycott, including prominent figures like Björk, Massive Attack, and Fontaines D.C., all of whom have sent geo-block requests to their distributors or labels. Other artists participating in the initiative include Paramore, Kneecap, and Wednesday.
The ‘No Music For Genocide’ campaign is a cultural boycott initiative that encourages artists and rights-holders to pull their music from digital platforms in Israel. Organizers are now publicly pressuring major label groups—Sony, Universal Music Group (UMG), and Warner—to follow their lead, citing the precedent set when the labels blocked their entire music catalogues in Russia a month after its invasion of Ukraine.