Spotify Cracks Down on AI Music With New Rules
It could reshape how artists and fans use Spotify, filtering out AI spam and voice clones while giving musicians new tools to be transparent about their creative process.
Spotify’s been a little fuzzy on where it stands with AI music. Well... until now. After months of pressure, the world’s biggest music streamer just rolled out new rules to tackle the “worst” AI use cases like fake voice clones, spammy uploads, and songs showing up on the wrong artist page.
And the scale of the problem is pretty intense. Spotify says it’s already taken down more than 75 million spam tracks in the past year. Some were human-made, but plenty came from AI tools designed to flood the platform with low-effort music and siphon royalties. Anyone remember that case where a musician allegedly used AI to pump out hundreds of thousands of fake songs and pocket over $10 million? Yeah, this is Spotify’s answer to cases like that.
So, what’s actually changing? For one, Spotify is sharpening its spam filters—flagging mass uploads, duplicates, artificially short tracks, and other hacks so they don’t get recommended in feeds. It’s also cracking down on AI impersonations (no, you can’t drop an unauthorized Drake clone) and giving artists more control to fix “content mismatch” issues before a release goes live.
Emmanuel Umahi
But the most interesting update is a new metadata standard with DDEX (Digital Data Exchange). Soon artists will be able to say exactly how AI was used in a song, whether it’s a single instrument, a vocal tweak, or mastering. That info will show up in Spotify credits and carry across to other platforms. Instead of treating AI as all-or-nothing, Spotify wants a more transparent, nuanced system.
“This isn’t about punishing artists for using AI authentically and responsibly,” Spotify’s Head of Music Charlie Hellman told Billboard. “It’s about stopping the bad actors who are gaming the system.”
Spotify isn’t acting alone either. Deezer has started tagging AI tracks and scrubbing them from algorithms, while SoundCloud bans monetization for songs made entirely with AI. Big labels like Warner and Universal are on board too, calling Spotify’s stance a step toward protecting artists and copyright in an AI-saturated industry.
But let’s be real, this is just the opening act. AI tools are only getting faster and easier, and the temptation to flood streaming platforms won’t slow down. Spotify’s gamble is that by filtering spam and demanding transparency, it can protect artists’ royalties and keep listeners from drowning in an endless sea of AI slop. Whether that balance hold is the real test ahead.
Emmanuel Umahi
