Spotify Removes 75 Million AI-Generated Spam Tracks from the Platform

Spotify has initiated a significant crackdown on “spammy” AI-generated music, removing over 75 million tracks from its platform in the past year alone. This move is a direct response to the explosion of generative AI tools that have made it easier for bad actors to upload low-quality, fraudulent content.

The company’s new policies are focused on a three-pronged approach:

• Improved Impersonation Enforcement: Spotify is introducing stricter policies to combat unauthorized AI voice clones and deepfakes. Vocal impersonation is now only permitted if the artist has given their explicit consent.
• A New Spam Filtering System: A new music spam filter is being rolled out to identify and block content that engages in tactics like mass uploads, creating duplicates, and using SEO tricks to manipulate the system. This is intended to prevent spammers from diverting royalties away from legitimate artists.
• AI Disclosures in Credits: Spotify is supporting a new industry standard (developed with DDEX) to allow artists and rights holders to clearly indicate where and how AI was used in a track’s creation—be it for vocals, instrumentation, or post-production. This is aimed at providing greater transparency for listeners without penalizing artists who use AI as a legitimate creative tool.

Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, has been a key voice on the matter. In a recent interview, he stated that while he doesn’t plan to completely ban AI-generated music, he believes there are “valid” uses for the technology. However, he drew a clear line against impersonating artists without their consent. He has said that the company is “mostly optimistic and mostly very excited because we’re just in the beginning of understanding this future of creativity that we’re entering,” and views the development of AI in the music industry as “much more as an evolution than a revolution.” He acknowledged the “very scary potential applications for AI,” but is more focused on the “insane” amount of creativity that it will put at creators’ fingertips.

Spotify emphasizes that this initiative is not meant to punish artists for using AI responsibly, but rather to protect the integrity of the platform and ensure a fair ecosystem for all creators and listeners. The company acknowledged that while AI can be a powerful creative tool, its misuse can lead to “slop” that degrades the listening experience and undermines the work of authentic artists.