As AI-generated artists and tracks flood music streaming platforms, Spotify is rolling out a new “Verified by Spotify” badge to help listeners more easily identify real human artists.
To receive a badge, artists must meet certain criteria. Spotify looks for identifiable artist presence on and off the platform, such as concert dates, merchandise, and social accounts linked to the artist’s profile. Profiles that primarily represent AI-generated music or AI persona artists are not subject to verification.
Additionally, artists need to maintain consistent listener activity and engagement over time. Spotify focuses on profiles of artists that people are actively searching for on an ongoing basis, rather than artists that experience a temporary spike in engagement.
At launch, over 99% of artists actively searched by listeners will be verified. Most of them are independent, with a wide mix of genres, career stages, and geographies, according to Spotify.
In the coming weeks, you’ll start seeing new badges next to artist names on artist profiles and in search results. The badge will display the text “Verified by Spotify” next to a green checkmark.
Given the large number of profiles on the platform, Spotify says verification will be rolled out on an ongoing basis, and the lack of a badge does not mean a profile won’t receive one in the future.
Spotify prioritizes artists with active fan interest and notable contributions to music culture over so-called “functional music” creators whose content is designed for passive or background listening (think algorithm-optimized background and focus playlists).
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“We carefully designed this new verification program with listeners and artists in mind, and we will continue to evolve this program over time,” Spotify said in a blog post. “Our goal is to make it easier to trust and understand the human artistry behind the music you listen to on Spotify, and to build long-term, meaningful connections with the artists and music you love.”
The platform will also launch in beta a new profile section highlighting career milestones, release activity and touring activity across all artist profiles. According to Spotify, this section makes it easier for users to see an artist’s authentic activity, even if they don’t yet meet the criteria for a verified badge.
These updates mark Spotify’s latest efforts to address the rise in low-quality AI-generated content (AI slop) and impersonation on its platform. Last month, the company began beta testing its “Artist Profile Protection” feature, which allows artists to review releases before making their profiles public, giving them more control over which tracks are associated with their name.
Spotify launched the feature weeks after Sony Music announced it had requested the removal of more than 135,000 AI-generated songs that impersonated its artists on its streaming service.
Spotify hasn’t provided details on how many AI tracks will be added to its platform, but rival streaming service Deezer announced last week that AI-generated tracks now account for 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform each day.
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