Spotify working on AI music tools with major record labels
13 minutes ago Share Save Imran Rahman-Jones Technology reporter Share Save
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Spotify, the world's biggest music streaming service, has announced it is working with major labels on using artificial intelligence (AI) in a "responsible" way. The firm said it wanted to make AI tools which "put artists and songwriters first" and respect their copyright. The streaming giant will license music from the three record labels which make up the vast majority of the industry: Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. It is unclear exactly what these AI tools will look like, but Spotify says it has already started working on its first products.
Also part of the deal are music rights firm Merlin and digital music company Believe. Spotify said it recognised there was a "wide range of views on use of generative music tools within the artistic community" and it planned to allow artists to choose if they wanted to participate. It comes as a number of high-profile musicians such as Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney have spoken out against AI companies training generative AI tools on their music without payment or permission. Spotify said it would make sure artists, songwriters and rights holders were "properly compensated for uses of their work and transparently credited for their contributions". These would be through "upfront agreements" and not "asking for forgiveness later". "Technology should always serve artists, not the other way around," said the firm's co-president Alex Norstrom. The announcement was welcomed by Ed Newton-Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, which campaigns for AI firms 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."
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