Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform, has revealed that it is collaborating with major record labels to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools in what it calls a “responsible” manner.
According to the company, the initiative aims to create AI technologies that “put artists and songwriters first” while ensuring full respect for their copyrights. As part of the effort, Spotify will license music from the industry’s leading record labels — Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group — which together represent the majority of global music content.
Also joining the partnership are rights management company Merlin and digital music firm Believe.
While the specifics of the new AI tools remain under wraps, Spotify confirmed that development is already underway on its first set of products. The company acknowledged that there are “a wide range of views on use of generative music tools within the artistic community” and stated that artists would have the option to decide whether to participate.
The announcement comes amid growing concern from prominent musicians, including Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney, who have criticized AI companies for training generative models on their music without authorization or compensation.
Spotify emphasized that creators and rights holders will be “properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions.” The firm said this would be done through “upfront agreements” rather than “asking for forgiveness later.”
“Technology should always serve artists, not the other way around,” said Alex Norstrom, Spotify’s co-president.
Not everyone, however, is optimistic. New Orleans-based MidCitizen Entertainment, a music management company, argued that AI has “polluted the creative ecosystem.” Its Managing Partner, Max Bonanno, said that AI-generated tracks have “diluted the already limited share of revenue that artists receive from streaming royalties.”
Conversely, the move was praised by Ed Newton-Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, an organization that advocates for AI companies to respect creators’ rights. “Lots of the AI industry is exploitative — AI built on people's work without permission, served up to users who get no say in the matter,” he told BBC News. “This is different — AI features built fairly, with artists’ permission, presented to fans as a voluntary add-on rather than an inescapable funnel of AI slop. The devil will be in the detail, but it looks like a move towards a more ethical AI industry, which is sorely needed.”
Spotify reiterated that it does not produce any music itself, AI-generated or otherwise. However, it employs AI in personalized features such as “daylist” and its AI DJ, and it hosts AI-generated tracks that comply with its policies. Earlier, the company had removed a viral AI-generated song that used cloned voices of Drake and The Weeknd, citing impersonation concerns.
Spotify also pointed out that AI has already become a fixture in music production — from autotune and mixing to mastering. A notable example was The Beatles’ 2023 Grammy-winning single Now and Then, which used AI to enhance John Lennon’s vocals from an old recording.
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl expressed support for the collaboration, saying, “We’ve been consistently focused on making sure AI works for artists and songwriters, not against them. That means collaborating with partners who understand the necessity for new AI licensing deals that protect and compensate rightsholders and the creative community.”