Spotify removes 75 million spam tracks and introduces stronger AI rules

Spotify has removed more than 75 million spam tracks in the last year, a move it says is part of its response to the rapid growth of generative AI in music.

The audio streaming giant announced the figure alongside new policies to curb spam uploads, protect artists from impersonation, and give listeners clearer information about when AI tools are involved in a track’s creation.

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In a statement, Spotify framed the shift in the industry as both promising and concerning. “At its best, AI is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it. At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers,” it said.

Spotify says that it has been investing in anti-spam measures for a while, but the past year has seen a massive increase in AI generated tracks.

“In fact, in the past 12 months alone, a period marked by the explosion of generative AI tools, we’ve removed over 75 million spammy tracks from Spotify,” it wrote.

These tracks exploit the royalty system, and the scale of the issue is staggering, nearly matching Spotify’s entire catalog.

Among the updates is a stronger impersonation policy. The company notes that deepfake technology has made it easier than ever to generate convincing replicas of an artist’s voice and the new rules state that vocal impersonation is only allowed if the impersonated artist has authorized its use. “Unauthorized use of AI to clone an artist’s voice exploits their identity, undermines their artistry, and threatens the fundamental integrity of their work,” Spotify said.

Spotify is also testing new tactics to block fraudulent uploads that wrongly appear on another artist’s profile.

It said it is working with distributors to stop these attacks at the source while investing in quicker review processes so that artists can flag problems before a track is released.

Spotify spam filter

The company also announced a new music spam filter. With total payouts on the service growing from $1 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2024, it said large volumes of spam threaten to dilute the royalty pool.

The filter will identify suspicious uploads, tag them, and prevent them from being recommended.

Beyond enforcement, Spotify is focusing on transparency. It is working with industry partners on a standard for AI disclosures in music credits through DDEX.

Once adopted, this system will allow artists and rights holders to indicate where AI was used in a track, whether in vocals, instrumentation, or post-production.

“This change is about strengthening trust across the platform. It’s not about punishing artists who use AI responsibly,” the company said.

Spotify stressed that it does not create or own music, and royalties are distributed based on listener engagement regardless of the tools used to make a track.

What do you think about Spotify’s approach to spam tracks? Let us know in the comments.

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