LCD Soundsystem soundtracked an advert for Elon Musk’s SpaceX during the 2026 Super Bowl last weekend.
James Murphy and co’s 2017 song ‘Oh Baby’ featured in the promo for Starlink, which is a satellite internet service operated by Musk’s aerospace company (via Stereogum).
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The 30-second ad promises “fast, affordable internet” for users “all around the world”. The synthy and twinkling instrumental of ‘Oh Baby’ accompanies clips of rockets taking off, space footage, various nature scenes and more.
Fans have since been sharing their thoughts on LCD’s controversial promo spot, given Musk’s appearance in the latest Epstein files release, his past ties to Donald Trump and the CEO seemingly giving a Nazi-like gesture last year.
In a thread on Reddit – titled ‘not too thrilled about ‘Oh Baby’ in a Starlink commercial’ – one fan wrote: “All your heroes will take the paycheck.” Another said: “Fuck this. Disappointing. You have enough to say no.”
A third user commented: “There is selling out and then there is selling out to this guy.” Someone else shared: “Still love their music but yeah this sucks. Reminded me of that gig they did for that NFT company.”
As the latter post referred to, LCD Soundsystem performed at Bored Ape Yacht Club’s ApeFest as part of an NFT event in New York in 2022.
LCD have licensed their music for adverts in the past. ‘Someone Great’ was used in a promo for a Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch in 2013, and ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’ was in some eBay spots in 2024.
Fast, affordable internet. Available all around the world!
Order in less than 2 minutes by visiting https://t.co/fUko3xSviJ or, if you live in the US, by calling 1-888-GO-STARLINK to get connected with the Starlink service plan that works best for you 🛰️🌎❤️ pic.twitter.com/D17EDQi9wL
— Starlink (@Starlink) February 8, 2026
In another recent Reddit thread, a fan suggested that Murphy had perhaps “sold the rights to LCD’s catalogue for commercial use”, adding: “Maybe he no longer has the final say in which ads LCD’s music is used in? I may be coping lol.”
Someone replied: “Every [major] artist is signed to a publishing company [whose] job is to distribute their clients’ intellectual property and chase the royalties for its usage. So yes.” However, a second user simply said that “money talks”.
Elsewhere, a separate post read: “Love their music but this is not OK. License your music out for a car commercial if you need money, not to a legitimate nazi.”
NME has contacted LCD Soundsystem’s representatives for comment.
Musk’s recent appearance in the Epstein files includes a 2012 email, in which he asked the convicted sex offender via email: “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”
Another email read: “Do you have any parties planned? I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Baits or elsewhere and let loose. The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for.”
Late last month, Musk responded in a statement on X. “No one pushed harder than me to have the Epstein files released and I’m glad that has finally happened,” he wrote.
“I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his ‘Lolita Express’, but was well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.”
Musk added: “I don’t care about that, but what I do care about is that we at least attempt to prosecute those who committed serious crimes with Epstein, especially regarding heinous exploitation of underage girls.”
No one pushed harder than me to have the Epstein files released and I’m glad that has finally happened.
I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his “Lolita Express”, but was well aware that some email…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2026
Musk’s X platform is currently under investigation after its Grok AI bot was used to generate many non‑consensual sexual images of users (via ICO). Last month, Maya Jama hit out at the “scary” and sexually explicit deepfakes created using Musk’s chatbot.
Meanwhile, LCD Soundsystem played their classic song ‘Too Much Love’ for the first time in 14 years last December as they wrapped up their New York residency.
In 2024, it was revealed that the band would be releasing a new album in 2025, but this did not materialise. The update came after LCD dropped a brand-new single, ‘X-Ray Eyes’.
Murphy later shared an update about the progress on the follow-up to 2017’s ‘American Dream’, saying: “So there’s a new LCD song called ‘X-Ray Eyes’. It’s the first single of what’s shaping up to be a new LCD Soundsystem album.
“Don’t ask me when that is, because we are still working on it. But it feels very good to be putting out new music.”
The frontman went on to reiterate that “there is no finished LP yet”, adding: “But when we are not playing shows, it’s getting closer and closer to completion. So that’s the news. Anything else you hear is bullshit speculation.”
