GoKawiil
Tech News
Spotify is reportedly developing a separate AI-powered service that would let subscribers create remixes and covers of existing songs, targeting a first-quarter 2027 launch, according to the Financial Times. The feature would cost Premium subscribers an extra $4 to $5 monthly, and Spotify is still negotiating licensing deals with major record labels before it can launch.
AI companies including OpenAI, Meta, and Amazon have signed licensing deals to pay publishers for content used in generated answers, but new deals appear to be slowing for publishers still negotiating. The discussion is shifting toward whether AI firms should also pay for the broader body of content—the 'library'—used to train or ground their systems, not just the specific pieces surfaced in responses.
AI developers are striking deals with businesses worth as much as $2 million to access data generated by employees in the course of their work. The employees who produce this information—emails, documents, communications—are not compensated or necessarily informed, while their employers collect the payouts.
While author-driven and publisher lawsuits against AI companies continue, major publishers including HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House are also striking licensing agreements and partnerships with AI firms like Google. HarperCollins signed a $5,000-per-title AI training deal in 2024, and Wiley reported $49 million in AI licensing revenue for fiscal 2026, alongside collaborations with Amazon, Microsoft, and Anthropic. A 2025 industry survey found 63% of publishing professionals now use AI internally for tasks like royalty statements and proofreading.