Photo Credit: Getty Images
Spotify is launching a "Verified" badge to help users distinguish human musicians from AI-generated content. The streaming giant announced that a green checkmark and the text "Verified by Spotify" will now appear next to the names of artists who meet specific authenticity standards. To qualify, creators must provide "signals of a real artist," such as linked social media accounts, consistent listener activity, and evidence of real-world presence like merchandise sales or tour dates.
In its blog post, Spotify said "more than 99%" of the artists listeners actively search for will be verified, representing "hundreds of thousands of artists".
It said the process would prioritise acts with "important contributions to music culture and history", rather than "content farms," with the platform rolling out verification and badges over the coming weeks.
With Spotify targeting AI-generated music and personas, some on social media have pointed out a verified account would only prove an artist was human, not that the music was made without utilising AI.
Ed Newton-Rex, a campaigner for creators' rights and former AI executive, said Spotify's approach could "punish real human artists who don't have some of the markers the verification is based on," like touring or selling merchandise.
Instead, he suggests Spotify could be "automatically labelling any AI-generated music" as some other streaming services do.
Spotify has come under fire in recent years for its approach to AI-generated content on its site. One Leipzig-based software developer built his own tool to label and block AI music on the platform.
Posts by users in its community forums have frequently requested a "clear label for AI-generated songs" or for the site to "explain why subscribers should pay full price while the platform fills up with AI-generated music".
In 2023, the then chief executive of Spotify Daniel Ek said he had no plans to completely ban content created by artificial intelligence from the platform.
