Spotify removes 75M AI-generated tracks from its platform

Over the past 12 months, the music streaming service Spotify has removed over 75 million “spammy tracks.” The platform will launch new safeguards to make music lovers aware of what tracks are most likely AI-generated.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help upcoming artists to write and compose their songs. But what if their music is fully created by AI, instead of playing a supporting role? Is it still considered music? Or is it an automated process to generate streams and therefore revenue for the “artists?”

In recent months, problems around AI-generated music on streaming services have become more pressing. Whether it’s promoting a non-existent band or launching a new song by a deceased artist, controversy about synthetic music and legacy fraud will surely resurface, especially when fraud is the main driver behind uploading fully AI-generated music.

According to Spotify, the pace of recent advances in generative AI technology has felt quick and unsettling, degrading listeners' music experience.

“At its best, AI is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it. At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers,” the music streaming service says in a press release published on Thursday.

Spotify has invested in fighting spam over the past decade to combat harmful content created with AI technology. That’s why the music streaming service has removed over 75 million AI-generated tracks in the past 12 months.

On top of that, Spotify tends to tackle “spammy” music with new policies focused on:

• Better enforcement of impersonation violations and deceptive content
• A new spam filtering system to make sure music payouts go to the real artists instead of the bad actors
• AI disclosure for AI-generated music by displaying it in the app

Spotify concludes its press release by stating that it supports artists’ freedom to use AI creatively, while actively combating its misuse by bad actors.

“Spotify does not create or own music – this is a platform for licensed music where royalties are paid based on listener engagement, and all music is treated equally, regardless of the tools used to make it,” Spotify states.

Spotify isn’t the only music streaming service dealing with AI-generated music. Earlier this month, Deezer announced that 28% of all music uploaded to the platform is fully AI-generated, which constitutes over 30,000 newly submitted tracks per day.

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