AI-generated music is flooding streaming platforms, and Spotify is finally stepping in to clean house. The streaming giant just rolled out a batch of tough new policies aimed at cutting down on AI “slop”—think unauthorized vocal clones, fake track uploads, and mass-produced spam that’s ruining playlists and draining artist royalties.
First up, Spotify wants total transparency. Artists now have to reveal exactly how much of their track used AI, whether it’s vocals, instrumentals, or post-production. So, say goodbye to vague “is this AI?” questions—listeners will finally get the full story.
But that’s not all. The platform is also debuting a whole new impersonation policy, putting up stronger barriers against voice clones and music delivered to the wrong artist profile. If you’re a real musician, that means better protection from scammers and a clearer recourse if someone tries to rip off your sound.
Spotify admits the “pace of recent advances in generative AI technology has felt quick and at times unsettling, especially for creatives.” The best of AI lets artists experiment and fans discover new genres. The worst? Content farms and bad actors use it to flood the system with spam, trick listeners, and pocket royalties that should be going to real musicians.
The company exposed other dirty tricks too—mass uploads, duplicated tracks, SEO hacks, tracks that are deliberately tiny, and even more “slop” made possible by cheap AI tech.
To choke off the spam, Spotify is rolling out a robust new filter this fall. It’ll identify and tag dodgy content, block it from recommendations, and—get this—Spotify says it’s removed more than 75 million scam tracks in the last year alone!
Why all this fuss? Spam dilutes the royalty pool and steals attention away from actual, hardworking artists. Spotify’s new goal: total transparency for fans and bulletproof ID protection for creators.
But not everything is sorted yet. Some AI projects like The Velvet Sundown, where music, lyrics—even artwork—are powered fully by AI, remain on Spotify. The platform’s stance? “We support artists’ freedom to use AI creatively while actively combating its misuse by content farms and bad actors.”
This move is all about empowering genuine musicians and giving listeners a spam-free, authentic experience. The battle against AI slop is just getting started.
