Spotify and Universal Music launch AI covers—with artist approval and fair pay
Spotify has teamed up with Universal Music Group to introduce an AI-powered service for creating covers and remixes. The feature will let fans generate new versions of songs—but only with permission from the original artists. Both companies stress that consent, fair pay, and proper credit lie at the heart of the system.
The new tool will be open exclusively to Spotify Premium subscribers. It will only work with tracks from artists who have agreed to participate. This approach contrasts with unauthorised AI covers, which often bypass royalties and artist approval.
Artists involved in the scheme will earn extra money from streams and usage of fan-made AI versions. These payments come on top of their existing royalties. Spotify and Universal Music Group have both highlighted that the system guarantees official compensation for rights holders. Spotify CEO Gustav Söderström used the announcement to restate the company’s long-term ambitions. These include growing its user base to one billion and pushing annual revenue to $100 billion.
The AI service aims to give fans creative freedom while ensuring artists retain control and fair earnings. Only participating musicians will have their tracks available for AI remixing. The move reflects a wider push to balance innovation with proper compensation in the music industry.
