Spotify Takes Swipe at the AI Industry Over Copyright Infringement

Spotify isn’t betting on Big Tech to protect artists and their copyrighted work during the AI boom, so it’s making its own plans.

In a press release on Thursday announcing a new partnership to develop AI tools for musicians, Spotify said the music industry must protect creatives as the AI industry marches ahead.

“Stamping out the worst outcomes of Gen AI is an essential piece of the puzzle,” the company said.

Spotify took a swipe at the AI industry in its press release, criticizing those who “believe copyright should be abolished.”

“Musicians’ rights matter. Copyright is essential. If the music industry doesn’t lead in this moment, AI-powered innovation will happen elsewhere, without rights, consent, or compensation,” the company said. “Together with rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, we are making significant investments in AI research and product development.

Big Tech and the leading AI startups have encountered numerous copyright protection issues in their quest to lead the global AI race. OpenAI and Anthropic, for example, have faced lawsuits accusing them of training their AI models on copyrighted work — including song lyrics — without consent or compensation to the owner.

OpenAI waded into copyright infringement waters again recently with the release of Sora 2, an AI text-to-video app. Soon after users accessed the app, videos featuring prominent animated characters and big brands began surfacing online. The Motion Picture Association called on OpenAI to take “immediate and direct” action in response.

“While OpenAI clarified it will ‘soon’ offer rightsholders more control over character generation, they must acknowledge it remains their responsibility — not rightsholders’ — to prevent infringement on the Sora 2 service,” the association said this month. “OpenAI needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue.”

In its press release on Thursday, Spotify said it’s partnering with Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop “artist-first AI music products.”

The company said the group aims to create “responsible AI products that empower the artists and songwriters they represent, and connect them with the fans who support them.”

“Spotify is working with partners to put these principles into practice,” the company said. “We’ve begun 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.”

Representatives for Spotify, Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Believe did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.