During the year, Spotify has been criticized for its handling of AI music on the platform, but at the end of September, they promised to put a stop to fake artists and "junk music".
The new partnership with Warner Music, Sony, Universal Music, Believe, and Merlin is, according to a press release, to develop "responsible AI products that strengthen the artists and songwriters they represent and bring them closer to their fans. The goal is to eventually include more rights holders and distributors".
According to Spotify, they have already begun building a state-of-the-art research lab and production team for generative AI, which will facilitate the company's new focus. The basic principles are described as clearer agreements for musicians and that artists and rights holders themselves should be able to choose how they want to participate, so that AI usage reflects their values.
The AI products will also give artists more fair compensation and recognition. Spotify also writes that "AI should not replace artists" but provide new tools to strengthen the relationship between musicians and their listeners.
Fact: AI controversies in the music world
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In the spring of 2023, the song "Heart on my sleeve" suddenly appeared, an AI-generated duet with Drake and The Weeknd, completely without permission, which managed to get 20 million streams in two days before it was taken down.
In the summer of 2025, the band The Velvet Sundown got 1 million streams on Spotify with melodic 70's rock. Soon, suspicions arose that the band was completely AI-generated, and in July, the people behind the project stepped forward and confirmed the information.
In the fall of 2024, the previously released cult song "Visa dina tuttar" became viral on Spotify in Sweden in a new dance band version. Soon, it turned out that the song had been rearranged by a producer who called himself AI Music Dreams, entirely with the help of AI.
