Spotify’s Embrace of AI-Generated Music: A Controlled Alternative to Piracy
Spotify’s chief executive has defended the company’s move toward AI-generated music, saying it offers users and creators a better alternative to piracy and unregulated AI abuse.
AI-Generated Remixes: A New Frontier for Spotify
Last week, the platform announced a new feature in which premium users will be allowed to create their own AI-generated remixes and covers of songs using music from participating artists.
The feature is part of a deal with Universal Music Group that sent Spotify shares up 16% last week.
The Rationale Behind Spotify’s AI Strategy
Alex Norström, CEO of Spotify, told the Financial Times that the streamer was trying to offer a “controlled” alternative, where musicians can consent to using their work and make money from it, instead of having it pirated. “There are a lot of malicious attempts in this direction,” he added.
Spotify’s feature will cost more and allow “one song to become 10,000,” Norström said.
Unanswered Questions and Industry Reactions
However, details have not yet been revealed on how this new feature will work; for example, whether user-generated AI remixes will be shareable or private. It’s also unclear how Spotify might label user-generated AI content if it’s shareable.
Ed Newton-Rex, composer and artist copyright campaigner, said: “I think if you’re going to have AI music, it’s clearly better that you have AI music that’s rooted in consent.”
However, he added, this feature could – depending on its design – cause human artists to face greater competition from AI-generated works, in a “vicious cycle” that would force even skeptical artists to participate.
“The big question will be whether fans can share the remixes they create for other people to listen to. If they can, I think you’re entering dangerous territory. These AI remixes will flood Spotify and drown out other songs, putting pressure on more musicians to sign up for the AI remix feature.”
The Rising Demand for AI-Generated Music
There appears to be a clear demand for AI-generated music. Last year, three AI-generated songs topped music charts, including Spotify’s, highlighting a growing phenomenon of AI music flooding major platforms and, increasingly, indistinguishable from human-created music.
“AI music has improved a lot very quickly, and so if people hear a song that they like and don’t question whether it’s AI or not. Then there’s a demand for that, just like there’s a demand for any music,” Newton-Rex said.
AI and the Music Industry: A Tense Relationship
Artificial intelligence is a major concern for the music industry and creative industries in general. In March, the British government backtracked on plans to allow AI companies to use copyrighted works without permission, after an outcry from thousands of artists, including Elton John and Dua Lipa.
Major AI companies, including Meta and OpenAI, have been sued for allegedly using books, journal articles, and other copyrighted materials to train AI models without the consent of the authors and creators.
In a new development last week, two Meta employees were individually sued for allegedly hacking a terabyte of books in order to form Llama.
The Ongoing Debate: AI Music versus Human Music
Newton-Rex said Norström’s decision to frame Spotify’s move as a choice to prioritize curated AI content over slop AI evaded the more real and pressing competition between human artists and AI-written music.
“The framing is absolutely AI music versus human music. Every time someone listens to AI music on Spotify, they’re not listening to a song simply created by a human. There are only so many hours you listen to music in a day.”
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