Spotify Fights AI Fakes Credited to Real Artists

In response to the proliferation of AI-generated content across music streaming platforms, Spotify has initiated a beta test for a new “Artist Profile Protection” feature. This innovative tool empowers artists to review all releases before they become publicly available on their profiles, granting them enhanced control over the tracks associated with their name on the service.

“Music has been landing on the wrong artist pages across streaming services, and the rise of easy-to-produce AI tracks has made the problem worse,” Spotify stated in a recent blog post. The company emphasized its commitment, adding, “That’s not the experience we want artists to have on Spotify, and that’s why we’ve made protecting artist identity a top priority for 2026. Today, we’re announcing a first-of-its-kind solution to a problem that’s affected streaming for years.”

Artists participating in the beta program are now able to review incoming releases and either approve or decline their publication on Spotify. Only those releases that receive an artist's explicit approval will appear on their official profile, contribute to their performance statistics, and be included in user recommendations.

This announcement from Spotify follows closely on the heels of Sony Music’s revelation last week that it had requested the removal of over 135,000 AI-generated songs from streaming services, all of which were found to be impersonating its artists.

Spotify acknowledges that while open distribution has significantly lowered barriers for independent artists to release music, it has also inadvertently created avenues for errors and malicious activities. Tracks can be misattributed to an artist's profile due to various factors, including metadata inaccuracies, confusion arising from artists sharing the same name, or deliberate attempts to falsely link music to a known artist.

“When that happens, it can impact your catalog, your stats, your Release Radar, and how fans discover your music,” Spotify further explained. “We know how frustrating this can be for both artists and fans alike and one of the top requests we’ve heard from artists over the past year is that you want more visibility before music appears under your name.”

While Spotify clarifies that this new feature may not be essential for every artist, it is specifically designed for those who have repeatedly experienced incorrect releases, possess a common artist name, or simply desire greater command over the content displayed on their profile.

Artists enrolled in the beta will find the feature within their “Spotify for Artists” settings, accessible via both desktop and mobile web. Upon activating “Artist Profile Protection,” they will receive an email notification whenever music is delivered to Spotify with their name attached, prompting them to approve or decline the release.