Spotify expands AI remix and covers project with Merlin partnership
Spotify
Spotify announced during its Q2 earnings call that Merlin, a licensing partner for independent labels, has joined its AI music effort alongside Universal Music Group. The product will allow fans to create covers and remixes with artists' consent, positioning itself as a legal way to participate in AI music. The tool will be a paid add-on, initially available to a subset of users.
On its second-quarter earnings call, Spotify teased the upcoming release of an AI-powered product that lets fans make covers and remixes of artists' music with consent. The company announced that Merlin, a licensing partner for independent labels and distributors, has joined Universal Music Group on this effort, bringing over 30,000 labels to the product. Spotify co-CEOs Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström emphasized that the product focuses on real artists, not fake ones, and includes consent, credit, and compensation for artists. They described it as the first legal way to participate in the AI tailwind for interactive music. The announcement comes amid a flood of AI-generated music on streaming services, with Deezer reporting over 50% of daily uploads being AI-generated. A research preview will be available to a subset of users, and the tool will launch as a paid add-on to create additional revenue for artists. Söderström noted that this product cannot be replicated by others and is essential for existing artists to participate in AI music.
Source: TechCrunch AI —
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