Spotify has revealed it removed 75 million spam tracks from its platform in the past year, underscoring the growing challenges posed by artificial intelligence in music streaming.
The world’s largest music streaming service, with nearly 700 million users worldwide, said the surge in fraudulent uploads is largely linked to the accessibility of powerful AI tools. These tools enable scammers to mass-produce fake music—ranging from meditation loops to AI deepfakes of famous artists—earning royalties after just 30 seconds of play while siphoning revenue away from legitimate musicians.
The scale of the problem is immense: Spotify’s entire music catalogue stands at about 100 million tracks, meaning spam uploads now rival authentic content in volume. The platform also hosts nearly 7 million podcasts and 350,000 audiobooks.
Spotify said spam tracks are detected both before and after upload, and it is rolling out a new filtering system designed to tag suspicious uploaders and prevent fraudulent content from being promoted by its recommendation algorithm.
Despite the crackdown, the company insists AI misuse has not significantly disrupted artists’ revenue. Spotify paid $10 billion in royalties in 2023, with AI-generated content contributing minimally to streams. A rule introduced in 2023 requiring tracks to be streamed over 1,000 times before earning royalties has further helped limit abuse.
Beyond spam, Spotify is also tackling AI vocal deepfakes, allowing them only when the impersonated artist provides consent. The company also supports a new industry-wide standard for disclosing AI use in music creation, developed by the non-profit DDEX. While disclosure will be voluntary, Spotify says the move is aimed at building trust across the platform, not penalizing artists who use AI responsibly.
The debate over AI in music gained attention after the viral “Heart on My Sleeve” deepfake track mimicking Drake and The Weeknd was removed in 2023 following copyright concerns raised by Universal Music Group. Yet not all AI projects are barred: the synthetic band Velvet Sundown, for instance, remains available since it does not violate Spotify’s anti-spam policies.
As AI reshapes the creative landscape, Spotify is positioning itself to balance innovation with artist protection, ensuring human creators remain at the center of the streaming economy.
