John Washington III Tells Spotify His Answer Is No: No One Remixes American King Records Masters Without the Label

John Washington III, a 2028 presidential candidate and the owner of American King Records, has made his position on streaming-platform remix deals plain. "My answer is a big no," he wrote, rejecting arrangements under which a streaming platform could negotiate terms allowing other people to remix artists' music.

"Spotify is a streaming platform. Spotify is not my record company," John Washington III wrote. He said he did not build his label, invest his money, develop his artists and create his music catalog so that a streaming platform could negotiate how other people use the label's master recordings. If another artist wants to remix, sample or commercially use one of those recordings, he wrote, there is a proper way to do business: "You come to the record company."

John Washington III said a licensing agreement with American King Records would cover upfront payment, royalties, ownership and terms of use, and he said he is not interested in handing over control of the label's masters for an undisclosed streaming royalty that might amount to fractions of a penny. "Your music is an asset. Your master recordings are property. Your rights have value," he wrote, closing with the label's position: no unauthorized remixes, no third-party licensing without the label's approval, and no giving away control of the catalog.