Spotify Denies Changing Artist Rights Amid AI Music Policy Updates

Spotify has publicly denied misinformation claiming it changed its terms to transfer artists' music rights to third parties, clarifying that recent updates only affect listener terms and do not impact artists' distribution rights or compensation. The company emphasized that these changes enable user-generated features like custom playlist covers and comments, which are common across streaming platforms. In response to rising concerns about AI misuse in music, Spotify has introduced new policies to protect artists from unauthorized AI voice cloning and to combat spammy, low-quality AI-generated tracks by implementing a spam-filtering system and enhanced content moderation. Additionally, Spotify will require explicit labeling of AI-generated music to increase transparency, ensuring listeners and rights holders are informed about AI involvement in tracks. These moves come amid broader industry efforts to address the challenges posed by generative AI, with Spotify aiming to safeguard artist integrity and royalties while integrating ethical technology. Despite criticism over artist compensation, Spotify reports paying out $10 billion to the music industry in 2024 and is actively working to improve protections for creators on its platform.