Spotify CEO defends AI music, wants you to stop calling it 'slop' - Neowin
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Spotify co-CEO, Alex Norström, in a recent interview, defended Spotify's expansion into AI-generated music, pitching the upcoming features as "legal" and "controlled" alternatives to unregulated AI music.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Norström explained that Spotify aims to offer AI experiences that feel legitimate and that he understands the "negativity out there" regarding generative AI. Norström admitted that "some of it's reasonable, but promised that" Spotify's licensing agreements would protect musicians.
Spotify last Thursday entered an agreement with Universal Music Group to deploy a generative AI tool designed for Premium subscribers who identify as "superfans." The add-on feature enables listeners to create licensed AI remixes and covers of songs from participating artists.
Norström told investors that the integration could turn a single song into ten thousand unique versions, driving up Spotify's stock by 18%. While Universal previously experimented with smaller startups, this partnership represents the first time a major streaming service has deployed a commercial AI product with direct record label backing.
The music (and creative in general) industry is not very happy with generative AI right now, with many critics calling it "slop." As of 2026, AI-generated tracks account for roughly 30% to 44% of all new daily uploads to streaming services like Deezer. Record giants like Universal and Sony are also suing AI companies like Suno and Udio in court, accusing the startups of mass infringement for scraping copyrighted music without permission and using it to train their models.
To protect itself from the onslaught of AI slop, Spotify has introduced a "Verified by Spotify" badge that distinguishes human creators from AI-generated accounts. The platform will now remove podcast episodes and tracks that mimic artists without permission.
Deezer tags all AI content and actively removes synthetic tracks from recommendations to preserve royalties for human musicians. On the other hand, YouTube is very welcoming to AI and has even launched its own tools like Dream Track that let creators legally utilize famous voices. Anyone who chooses to upload realistic synthetic content to the video site must disclose the artificial nature of the video to viewers.
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