News: 0179810390

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Spotify Says It's Working With Labels On 'Responsible' AI Music Tools

(Thursday October 16, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD) from the what-does-that-mean dept.)


Spotify has officially [1]partnered with major record labels to create a "responsible AI" initiative aimed at developing generative music tools that supposedly benefit both artists and fans. While Spotify promises choice, transparency, and fair compensation, the vague [2]announcement has many skeptics wondering if "responsible AI" is just another remix of old industry power plays set to a new algorithmic beat. The Verge reports:

> Spotify didn't detail any specific products in the works but said it was building a "state-of-the-art generative AI research lab and product team focused on developing technologies that reflect our principles and create breakthrough experiences for fans and artists." Most of the press release is dedicated to vagaries and laying out the principles that will guide Spotify's generative AI projects: [partnerships with record labels, distributors, and music publishers; choice in participation; fair compensation and new revenue; and artist-fan connection.]



[1] https://www.theverge.com/news/800629/spotify-ai-music-sony-umg-wmg-merlin

[2] https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-10-16/artist-first-ai-music-spotify-collaboration/



How comforting (Score:3)

by Big Hairy Gorilla ( 9839972 )

Like the old "we take your privacy very seriously".

Haha... responsible AI? Almost as funny as "ethical AI".

Easy to see 100% a covering over of a problem (Score:2)

by will4 ( 7250692 )

Posting for reference the old delay, delay, delay then half-admit a small transgression, deny it harmed anyone.

Then when pressed a year or more later, admit a slightly larger transgression,

Then a year or more later when pressed, admit an even larger transgression,

and repeat....

[1]https://www.cnn.com/interactiv... [cnn.com]

Insurance companies will eventually wake up and exclude from general liability coverage systemic skirting of the law.

Financial auditors will eventually wake up and exclude corporations who take repeate

[1] https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/12/business/facebooks-year-of-scandal/index.html

Re: (Score:2)

by test321 ( 8891681 )

In my view, "responsible" would be for the producers to faithfully categorize their AI uses: sheet, instruments, vocals, post-process. AI music is fine if the users can choose or exclude it. However: 1) this probably only works with the bigger labels that have a corporate structure and can implement policies (garage bands probably won't care, and scammers will lie); 2) it somehow goes against Spotify business model of "as much quantity as possible, quality optional".

Re: (Score:2)

by sound+vision ( 884283 )

"We're not going to do anything about the AI deluge, we're just going to wave our hands and declare ourselves 'responsible'. (In the sense of describing our greatness, not in the sense of 'accountable'.)"

Who needs artists (Score:2)

by liqu1d ( 4349325 )

Labels can just cut out those pesky artists and their insane requests to get paid. Who do they even think they are!

Trust us. (Score:2)

by Revek ( 133289 )

We like money.

Go on, pull the other one! (Score:2)

by sizzzzlerz ( 714878 )

Queue J. Jonah Jameson laughing...

[1]https://youtu.be/lhckuhUxcgA?s... [youtu.be]

[1] https://youtu.be/lhckuhUxcgA?si=a4qliB90yBo7YKeV

We don't need AI generated music (Score:2)

by MpVpRb ( 1423381 )

We have lots of musicians who do the job perfectly.

We need AI tools to help us do things we currently can't do.

Hopefully, AI music will be a short-lived fad, and people will realize that music requires musicians

Re: (Score:2)

by sound+vision ( 884283 )

There's sadly a segment of people so dumb and easily amused that they actually enjoy listening to or watching the stuff, and they have money to be taken. The recent success of whatever that shitty 70s soft-rock AI band was called, shows that you just need the right people promoting the crap and they'll gobble it up.

The monetization path is identical to that of the social media dreck that existed before AI. Individual uploaders can achieve monetary gains with the right promo, but the biggest winner is of cou

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