- Spotify users flag unwanted AI-generated music in their apps, but the platform itself refuses to force it
- The music streaming service shared in a comment that it ‘does not create or own any music and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools’
- Although it claims it is implementing ways to tackle this, platforms like Bandcamp have completely banned AI audio
Spotify always seems to run into controversy in some way, shape, or form, whether it’s not paying artists what they deserve or taking time to release a much-needed upgrade (looking at you, Spotify Lossless).
As for its latest dispute, music fans are angrily drawing attention to AI-generated music flooding the Spotify app, claiming the platform is forcing AI music into features like Discover Weekly and Release Radar. I covered this recently and highlighted a Reddit post that drew a heated response from users who have experienced this AI slop.
The gist of the post was to call on Spotify to implement a filter system that marks whether a song has been generated using AI tools, which other music streaming services such as Deezer have already jumped on board.
So what does Spotify have to say about this heat? While the platform has yet to explain why AI music is still a presence in its ecosystem, we reached out for comment and they got back to us with the following statement:
“AI is a rapidly changing shift for the entire music industry, and it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between ‘AI’ and ‘non-AI’ music. Spotify is focused on actions that protects against harmful AI use cases, including removing spam and deceptive content, strengthening enforcement against impersonation and unauthorized voice cloning, and supporting industry-standard AI disclosures in music credits. Spotify does not create or own music and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools.”
Back in September, Spotify issued a post listing its plans to strengthen its AI protections, which included improved impersonation enforcement, a new spam filtering system, and AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits. It’s been four months and the AI overflow is still there for some users.
With that in mind, why is it so hard to eradicate AI-generated tracks from music platforms? Well, it isn’t. While Spotify claims it’s doubling down on its attack against AI music, it doesn’t seem to be working. Rival platforms are already tackling this, and Bandcamp just banned AI music altogether, announcing the move via a Reddit post.
Although AI music has been banned, the platform is not blind to the fact that it can still slip in. That said, Bandcamp encourages users to use its reporting tools to flag any AI-generated music or audio they come across. It’s a very direct way to tackle unwanted AI garbage, and one that could help Spotify win back user trust.
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