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After Universal and Merlin deals, Spotify inks agreement with Kobalt for AI-powered ‘fan-made’ covers and remixes
The deal gives Spotify a consent-based way to launch AI covers and remixes while creating new income for participating songwriters, the companies said.
- On August 11, Spotify began rolling out an "AI Persona" label to identify songs created by artificial intelligence, preventing default recommendations unless subscribers explicitly choose to receive them.
- Transparency concerns prompted the initiative after the fake band Velvet Sundown sparked debates about synthetic profiles appearing human, frustrating listeners who wanted clarity on AI-generated content.
- Kobalt signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify on Thursday to enable fan-made AI covers and remixes, following earlier deals with UMG in May and Merlin on August 4.
- Co-CEO Alex Norstr outlined the "3 Cs" framework—consent, credit, and compensation—creating an opt-in model where songwriters directly share in value generated from licensed AI-powered covers and remixes.
- Elsewhere in music publishing, NMPA President and CEO David Israelite stated the industry must "value songs and sound recordings equally," positioning licensing agreements as preferable to ongoing litigation.
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After months of controversy over the use of AI in Spotify, the company has decided to label the ‘artists’ and the musical pieces created with artificial intelligence. This measure will exclude that content from the recommendations generated by the platform algorithm, as part of a campaign to combat fake profiles and illegitimate music, as well as to improve quality control. The company has created a label called ‘IA people’ to identify all ‘arti…
·New York, United States
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The Russian treming service Yandex Musica will inform the audience that artificial intelligence was used to create the tracks. The company's representatives told the Izvesti that they had not yet decided how such information would be displayed.
·Riga, Latvia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Left
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
45% Left
L 45%
C 33%
R 22%
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