David vs Goliath: As Spotify celebrates its 20th anniversary, St Albans indie band The Pocket Gods unveils £1 million protest album and explosive new documentary at Raindance Film Festival

London, 18 May 2026 – While Spotify throws a lavish 20th anniversary party complete with personalised “Spotify 20” retrospectives and global fan celebrations, one tiny British indie band is refusing to join the festivities.

The Pocket Gods – the long-running St Albans cult favourites fronted by Mark Christopher Lee – have spent more than a decade waging a classic David vs Goliath battle against what they call Spotify’s exploitative royalty model. Their extraordinary campaign is now the subject of a powerful new documentary, Inspired: From the 30 second song to the £1 million album, which receives its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival on Saturday 20 June 2026 at Vue Piccadilly (Screen 5).

The film follows the band’s journey from releasing entire albums of 30-second tracks – the exact length at which Spotify pays a full royalty – to their Guinness World Record-breaking 1,000-track album 1000x30 – Nobody Makes Money Anymore. The protest has now reached its boldest stage yet with the release of the band’s final album, Vegetal Digital – pressed as one single copy on vinyl and currently on sale for £1 million at Empire Records in St Albans.If the album sells, every penny will be used to launch Nub Play, the band’s own ethical streaming platform that promises to pay artists and songwriters a guaranteed minimum of 1p per stream – fifty times the typical Spotify rate.

Mark Christopher Lee, who has led The Pocket Gods for over 25 years, said:

“Spotify is busy celebrating 20 years of turning music into billions while most artists still earn pennies. This film is the story of ordinary musicians fighting back. We went in as sceptics and came out knowing the system is broken. Raindance has always backed the underdog – this is our David vs Goliath moment, and we hope it sparks real change.”

The documentary charts the band’s transformation from lo-fi indie outfit to conceptual protest artists who have taken on one of the biggest tech giants in the music industry. Lee, who also directed the film, has previously screened work at Raindance and holds multiple Guinness World Records, including the most studio albums released digitally.

Inspired: From the 30 second song to the £1 million album is essential viewing for anyone who cares about the future of music, artist rights and the true cost of “free” streaming.
Notes to editors

• The Pocket Gods: facebook.com/thepocketgods
• Mark Christopher Lee is available for interview
• World premiere tickets & full details: https://raindance.eventive.org/films/inspired-from-the-30-second-song-to-the-1-million-album-69f374eb8c14ac84726132f5
• View the £1 million one-copy vinyl in person at Empire Records, St Albans

Interviews and screener upon request: [email protected]