Spotify Removes Vulpeck Silent Album 'Sleepify' for Violating Terms

Spotify has removed an album of compete silence by a US funk bank from its server for violating its terms of content.

Michigan bank Vulfpeck came up with a novel way to fund their upcoming tour by releasing a completely silent album and getting their fans to constantly stream it.

The band figured they could earn up to $4 a night royalties from Spotify if just one person played their 10-track album Sleepify on repeat through the night.

Spotify originally took the band's idea in good humour, saying the album is "derivative of John Cage's work" and they much preferred Vulfpeck's earlier work.

But now the band have said the music streaming service has ordered them to remove Sleepify from their system.

Vulfpeck responded to the situation in their own unique way – by releasing a three-track EP entitled Official Statement on Spotify.

The first track, #Hurt, features singer Jack Stratton speaking to confirm that Spotify have asked them to take down the silent album.

He says: "About five minutes ago I received an email from Spotify...it was three paragraphs and the gist of it was that while they enjoyed Sleepify and thought it was funny and clever, it violated their terms of content.

"They're asking me to take down Sleepify from their service. I'm scared and I'm a little bit chilly, I'm hurt, I'm confused, I don't know who to talk to so I'm talking to you.

"I know they have legal team and investment, but I have Spotify and they don't, so I'm using my outlet."

Discussing how he thinks Spotify will react to Official Statement, which will also receive royalties every time it is played, Strutton adds: "I don't know what's going to happen with it, it's very uncertain at the moment, and in light of that uncertainty I want to take a 30 second silence to ponder the uncertainty."

What follows is the second track on the EP, #Reflect, a 30-second track of silence. The third song, Parted Sea (Strong Pesach) is a quick instrumental.

Using Spotify's admission that they pay $0.007 per song stream to artists, Vulfpeck would have earned around 77 cents an hour if Sleepify, with a running time of just over five minutes, was played on repeat.

If one of their fans did play it for seven hours while they slept, they would have earned Vulfpeck around $5.39.

It is not known how much money the band received in the month the album was on Spotify.