Spotify is updating its rules for working with AI: the platform will add notes about the use of artificial intelligence in song metadata according to the DDEX standard and in the fall will enable a filter that will filter out massive duplicates and cheating schemes. Separately, the service prohibits tracks with fake artist voices and promises to remove such recordings.
Spotify is updating its rules for working with AI: the platform will add notes about the use of artificial intelligence in song metadata according to the DDEX standard and in the fall will enable a filter that will filter out massive duplicates and cheating schemes. Separately, the service prohibits tracks with fake artist voices and promises to remove such recordings.
TechCrunch reports on the changes. The company is implementing an upcoming DDEX standard for identifying and labeling the use of AI in metadata: rights holders and distributors will transmit structured tags whether AI was used for vocals, instruments, or post-processing. Spotify emphasizes that the approach takes into account the «gradations» of AI use and does not reduce a track to a primitive «AI/non-AI» dichotomy.
Separately, the service clearly prohibits unauthorized voice replicas of artists and other forms of vocal imitation. Such releases will be deleted, and publisher accounts will be blocked. An additional block of updates is the fight against spam: in the fall, a new filter will be launched that will detect mass duplicates, «black» SEO practices, recommendation cheating, and other manipulations, after which such releases will no longer be picked up by the recommendation system. The deployment will be phased with the gradual addition of signals.
Another focus is «profile mismatches»: when scammers upload their content to other people’s artist pages. Spotify will work with aggregators and labels to filter out such cases before publication. At the same time, the company emphasizes that it does not punish the «fair» use of AI production tools per se: if the creative process is transparent and without copyright infringement, the service supports it.
Spotify executives say the widespread availability of AI has made it easier for artists to release music, but also for hackers, and new technical safeguards are needed. The first 15 labels and distributors have already agreed to integrate DDEX tags; the company expects the rest of the industry to follow suit.
The market is experiencing a rapid growth in AI releases, but also a wave of dissatisfaction with the lack of transparent labeling. This summer, the artificial band Velvet Sundown went viral on Spotify, after which users demanded visible labeling of AI tracks. In parallel, competitor Deezer estimates that about 18% of daily downloads are fully generated music. Against this background, Spotify’s course towards standardized metadata, technical filters and zero tolerance for voice clones looks like an attempt to balance AI innovations with the rights of artists and listeners’ expectations.
As a reminder, dev.ua previously wrote about how Spotify updated the terms of use for the free version of the service: now you can search for and play specific tracks without shuffle mode. This is the first significant easing of restrictions for the free audience in recent years.
