{"id":240939,"date":"2025-09-25T12:58:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T11:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=240939"},"modified":"2025-09-25T13:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T12:38:14","slug":"spotify-has-deleted-75m-spammy-tracks-as-it-unveils-new-ai-music-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/spotify-has-deleted-75m-spammy-tracks-as-it-unveils-new-ai-music-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotify has deleted 75m+ &#8216;spammy tracks&#8217; \u2013 as it unveils new AI music policies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Spotify has removed more than 75 million &#8220;spammy tracks&#8221; from its platform over the past year, the streaming giant revealed today as it announced a suite of new policies for managing AI-generated content on its service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The figure was disclosed during a press briefing where executives outlined a <strong>three-pronged<\/strong> approach to combat AI-enabled fraud while supporting legitimate artistic use of artificial intelligence tools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;In the past 12 months alone, a period marked by the explosion of generative AI tools, we&#8217;ve removed over 75 million spammy tracks from Spotify,&#8221; the company confirmed in its official blog post announcing the measures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The announcement comes as the streaming industry grapples with an unprecedented influx of AI-generated content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Rival platform Deezer recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/nearly-a-third-of-all-tracks-uploaded-to-deezer-are-now-fully-ai-generated-says-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> that it now receives over <strong>30,000<\/strong> fully AI-generated tracks daily, marking a sharp increase from the 20,000 figure it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/ai-music-invasion-doubles-on-deezer-20000-bot-created-tracks-now-uploaded-each-day-to-streaming-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported in April<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/10000-ai-tracks-are-uploaded-daily-to-deezer-platform-reveals-as-it-files-two-patents-for-new-ai-detection-tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10,000 it disclosed<\/a> in January when it first launched its proprietary AI detection tool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">According to Deezer, up to 70% of plays for these fully AI-generated tracks have been detected as fraudulent, with the company filtering these streams out of royalty payments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">      <div class=\"mb-advert__incontent\">      <div class=\"mb-advert mb-advert__tweeny hidden-xs hidden-ms hidden-sm\" data-loaded=\"no\" data-sizes=\"992 1200 1440\" data-name=\"628x90 Sponsor banner #5 (992+1200+1440)\" data-params=\"dfp_sponsor5_628\" id=\"dfp_sponsor5_628\"><\/div>      <div class=\"mb-advert mb-advert__banner mb-advert__banner--inline hidden-xs hidden-sm hidden-md hidden-lg\" data-loaded=\"no\" data-sizes=\"480\" data-name=\"468x60 Sponsor banner #5 (480)\" data-params=\"dfp_sponsor5_468\" id=\"dfp_sponsor5_468\"><\/div>      <div class=\"mb-advert mb-advert__mobile mb-advert__mobile--inline hidden-ms hidden-md hidden-lg\" data-loaded=\"no\" data-sizes=\"320 768\" data-name=\"300x50 Sponsor banner #5 (320+768)\" data-params=\"dfp_sponsor5_300\" id=\"dfp_sponsor5_300\"><\/div>      <\/div>      <\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Spotify&#8217;s new framework comprises <strong>three key policies<\/strong> targeting different aspects of AI-related challenges, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Improved enforcement of impersonation violations<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>A new spam filtering system, and<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong> AI disclosures for music with &#8220;industry-standard credits&#8221;.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Spotify explained the reasoning behind the introduction of these measures in the blog post published today: &#8220;At its best, <strong>AI<\/strong> is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it,&#8221; the company said.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The future of the music industry is being written, and we believe that aggressively protecting against the worst parts of Gen AI is essential to enabling its potential for artists and producers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Spotify<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It added: &#8220;At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push &#8216;slop&#8217; into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers. That kind of harmful AI content degrades the user experience for listeners and often attempts to divert royalties to bad actors.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;The future of the music industry is being written, and we believe that aggressively protecting against the worst parts of Gen AI is essential to enabling its potential for artists and producers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">      <div class=\"mb-advert__incontent\">      <div class=\"mb-advert mb-advert__spu\" data-loaded=\"no\" data-name=\"300x250 Sponsor MPU #1\" data-params=\"dfp_spu1\" id=\"dfp_spu1\"><\/div>      <\/div>      <\/p>\n<h6><strong>1. Improved enforcement of impersonation violations<\/strong><\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Spotify is introducing a new <a href=\"https:\/\/support.spotify.com\/artists\/article\/music-that-impersonates-another-artists-voice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/support.spotify.com\/artists\/article\/music-that-impersonates-another-artists-voice&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758880487813000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2IvleQFQJgb2HQXVnjS3mf\">impersonation policy<\/a> that prohibits unauthorized AI voice clones, deepfakes, and any form of vocal replicas or impersonation. Spotify is also investing in preventing &#8220;content mismatches&#8221; \u2013 where fraudulent actors upload music to another artist&#8217;s profile across streaming services.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0&#8220;Vocal impersonation is only allowed in music on Spotify when the impersonated artist has authorized the usage,&#8221; Spotify said today.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Unauthorized use of AI to clone an artist\u2019s voice exploits their identity, undermines their artistry, and threatens the fundamental integrity of their work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;We\u2019re also ramping up our investments to protect against another impersonation tactic, where uploaders fraudulently deliver music (AI-generated or otherwise) to another artist\u2019s profile across streaming services. We\u2019re testing new prevention tactics with leading artist distributors to equip them to better stop these attacks at the source.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Spotify added: \u00a0&#8220;Unauthorized use of AI to clone an artist\u2019s voice exploits their identity, undermines their artistry, and threatens the fundamental integrity of their work. Some artists may choose to license their voice to AI projects\u2014and that\u2019s their choice to make. Our job is to do what we can to ensure that the choice stays in their hands.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6><strong>2. A new spam filtering system<\/strong><\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Second, Spotify is introducing a <strong>spam filter<\/strong> specifically designed to combat AI-enabled content manipulation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The system will target accounts engaging in mass uploads, creating excessive duplicates with altered metadata, manipulating SEO, and uploading tracks just over 30 seconds to accumulate royalty-bearing streams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Our new spam filter will flag tracks and uploaders using these tactics and stop recommending them across Spotify programming,&#8221; said Sam Duboff, Global Head of Marketing and Policy for the Music Business during the press briefing.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6>3. <strong>AI disclosures for music with &#8220;industry-standard credits&#8221;.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Spotify also announced that it&#8217;s helping develop and will support &#8220;<strong>a<\/strong> <strong>new<\/strong> <strong>industry standard<\/strong>&#8221; for AI disclosures in <strong>music<\/strong> <strong>credits<\/strong>, developed through <strong>DDEX<\/strong> (Digital Data Exchange). Spotify says that this standard enables artists and rightsholders to clearly indicate where and how AI played a role in track creation \u2013 whether in AI-generated vocals, instrumentation, or post-production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;As this information is submitted through labels, distributors, and music partners, we&#8217;ll begin displaying it across the app,&#8221; the company stated. &#8220;This change is about strengthening trust across the platform. It&#8217;s not about punishing artists who use AI responsibly or down ranking tracks for disclosing information about how they were made.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The initiative has secured broad industry support, with Spotify working alongside partners including: Amuse, AudioSalad, Believe, CD Baby, DistroKid, Downtown Artist &amp; Label Services, EMPIRE, Encoding Management Service &#8211; EMS GmbH, FUGA, IDOL, Kontor New Media, Labelcamp, NueMeta, Revelator, SonoSuite, Soundrop and Supply Chain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;This industry standard will allow for more accurate, nuanced disclosures,&#8221; explained Duboff during the briefing. &#8220;It won&#8217;t force tracks into a false binary where a song either has to be categorically AI or not AI at all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Spotify&#8217;s list of partners for the DDEX initiative published today doesn&#8217;t appear to include the names of the three majors, but MBW understands that the streaming platform is in talks with them and that they are broadly supportive of the new policies.<\/p>\n<p>A UMG spokesperson told MBW in a statement that the company &#8220;welcome[s] Spotify\u2019s new AI protections as important steps forward consistent with our longstanding Artist Centric principles&#8221;.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We welcome Spotify\u2019s new AI protections as important steps forward consistent with our longstanding Artist Centric principles.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Universal Music Group<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>UMG&#8217;s spokesperson added: &#8220;We believe AI presents enormous opportunities for both artists and fans, which is why platforms, distributors and aggregators must adopt measures to protect the health of the music ecosystem in order for these opportunities to flourish.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These measures include content filtering; checks for infringement across streaming and social platforms; penalty systems for repeat infringers; chain-of-custody certification and name-and-likeness verification.\u00a0 The adoption of these measures would enable artists to reach more fans, have more economic and creative opportunities, and dramatically diminish the sea of noise and irrelevant content that threatens to drown out artists\u2019 voices.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We appreciate and support Spotify on taking these steps to do just that and look forward to working with them on further safeguarding the rights of artists, songwriters and copyright owners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Warner Music Group<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A Warner Music Group spokesperson told us that \u201cWMG has been working with our distribution partners to set the right environment and ecosystem for AI, where the value of artistic creativity is protected&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>They added: &#8220;We appreciate and support Spotify on taking these steps to do just that and look forward to working with them on further safeguarding the rights of artists, songwriters and copyright owners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the industry, Mike Caren, music producer and CEO of <strong>Artist Partner Group<\/strong>, also endorsed the measures: &#8220;It&#8217;s crucial for artists to know that their partners are contributing to the protection of their identity and repertoire. Transparency in the use of AI is key to building trust with fans. These developments are significant steps forward for Spotify.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As did songwriter Justin Tranter: \u201cSongs and songwriters are at the core of the entire music business,&#8221; Tranter said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If we aren\u2019t protected, we can\u2019t do our jobs and the whole business suffers. There is still a lot of work to be done; but, I am so grateful for these efforts to support and protect us. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">      <div class=\"mb-advert__incontent\">      <div class=\"mb-advert mb-advert__spu\" data-loaded=\"no\" data-name=\"300x250 Sponsor MPU #2\" data-params=\"dfp_spu2\" id=\"dfp_spu2\"><\/div>      <\/div>      <\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\n<h6>The economics driving spam<\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Spotify noted today that its total music payouts have grown from $1 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2024, creating significant incentives for bad actors to flood platforms with low-quality content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Big payouts entice bad actors,&#8221; the company acknowledged. &#8220;Left unchecked, these behaviors can dilute the royalty pool and impact attention for artists playing by the rules.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The problem extends beyond Spotify. Although fully AI-generated music currently accounts for only around 0.5% of all streams on Deezer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/nearly-a-third-of-all-tracks-uploaded-to-deezer-are-now-fully-ai-generated-says-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the platform believes<\/a> the primary purpose of uploading these tracks is fraudulent activity rather than genuine creative expression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">According to Spotify&#8217;s analysis, tracks that appear to be primarily prompt-generated currently represent what Spotify exec Sam Duboff called a &#8220;de minimis level of engagement&#8221; on the platform. &#8220;When music doesn&#8217;t take much effort to create, it tends to be low quality [and] doesn&#8217;t tend to find an audience,&#8221; he noted.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6>Artist autonomy and transparency<\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">During the press briefing, Charlie Hellman, VP Global Head of Music Product, positioned these changes within the broader context of technological disruption in music history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Every time these new technologies [emerged], there were artists who embraced it and thought it was great, and other artists who didn&#8217;t,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But the common thread in each of those moments was that it was the artists that got to decide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The company emphasized it will not penalize artists for legitimate use of AI tools. &#8220;We&#8217;re not here to punish artists for using AI authentically and responsibly,&#8221; Hellman stated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">When questioned about the Velvet Sundowner case \u2013 where an AI-generated band gained traction on the platform earlier this year \u2013 Duboff suggested transparent disclosure would have changed the narrative. &#8220;If these AI credits had been available before the summer, I think the news cycle, the fan interest would have been really different,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6>Denying playlist manipulation<\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The briefing also addressed rumors about Spotify allegedly adding AI-generated tracks to editorial playlists to reduce royalty payments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Those rumors are categorically and absolutely false,&#8221; Duboff stated. &#8220;Spotify doesn&#8217;t generate any music. We don&#8217;t own any music. All the music on Spotify, 100% of it, is created, owned, uploaded by licensed third parties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6>Implementation timeline<\/h6>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The new impersonation policy becomes effective immediately.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The spam filter has begun its gradual rollout, which Spotify plans to implement carefully over coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The DDEX AI credits system, while announced today, will require additional time for formal certification and supply chain updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spotify introduces a suite of new policies for managing AI-generated content on its service<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":209764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240939"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241032,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240939\/revisions\/241032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}