Photo Credit: Omar:. Lopez-Rincon
Get ready for even more AI audio and features on Spotify, which has struck agreements with the majors, Merlin, and Believe “to develop responsible AI products that empower the artists and songwriters they represent.”
The companies highlighted their newly finalized AI pacts this morning, on the heels of Musixmatch’s disclosure of AI partnerships with the majors’ publishing divisions. As we reported yesterday, the latter announcement mainly provided an overview of the deals as opposed to diving into their precise details.
The same is true of Spotify’s summary of the AI tie-ups. Across approximately 1,200 words, the DSP reiterated its efforts to decommission AI slop, proclaimed that “[c]opyright is essential,” and framed in-house artificial intelligence projects as a means of putting the industry in the driver’s seat.
“If the music industry doesn’t lead in this moment,” Spotify wrote, “AI-powered innovation will happen elsewhere, without rights, consent, or compensation. Together with rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, we are making significant investments in AI research and product development.”
Not stopping there, the service (which hopes “to bring on additional rightsholders and distributors over time”) rattled off four principles guiding its collaborative AI endeavors.
In a nutshell, said principles refer to inking upfront agreements (or at least securing advantageous user terms) with labels, publishers, and distributors, besides allowing artists and rightsholders to decide “if and how to participate” in the AI offerings, according to Spotify.
The platform also pledged to “create wholly new revenue streams for rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, ensuring they are properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions.” And the resulting products and services will purportedly ensure that “generative AI deepens artist-fan connections.”
As for a release timetable, Spotify is in the process of building “a state-of-the-art generative AI research lab and product team” and has “already begun work on the first product directions that bring these principles to life,” per the text.
Soon-to-be co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström both weighed in on the pacts, as did the involved companies’ heads.
“AI is the most consequential technology shift since the smartphone,” Söderström added in part, “and it’s already reshaping how music is created and experienced. At Spotify, we want to build this future hand in hand with the music industry, guided by clear principles and deep respect for creators, just as we did in the days of piracy.”
Meanwhile, Sony Music’s Rob Stringer touted the AI deals as “an acknowledgement that direct licensing in advance of launching new products is the only appropriate way to build them.”
Additionally, Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl noted “the opportunity to pioneer the future together,” with Universal Music head Lucian Grainge applauding “these critical steps forward to advance” a gen AI framework under “which artists, songwriters, fans, music companies and technology companies can all flourish.”
“Merlin’s approach to the use of AI in music is straightforward,” Merlin COO Charlie Lexton said. “We actively look for partners who respect and value copyright, respect and value artists and want to enrich, not displace, the creative community. Spotify’s principles on AI announced today demonstrate that same commitment.
“We are excited to work together to ensure these principles translate into products that genuinely enhance the creative and commercial eco-system – for the benefit of our independent members, their artists and their fans,” the exec concluded.
Finally, Believe founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie described his company as “thrilled to partner with Spotify to co-develop ‘value-creative AI’ tools that will fuel artist development and unlock new creative and commercial opportunities.”
