Spotify adds artist approval to block AI fakes
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- Spotify is beta‑testing Artist Profile Protection, a feature that adds a review step before music appears on an artist’s profile.
- Artists such as Drake, Beyoncé, William Basinski, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have had fake tracks appear under their names, some likely AI‑generated.
- Artists in the beta must opt in, and any new release requires their or their team’s approval before it is displayed.
- Spotify is issuing "artist keys" to beta participants, a code that triggers automatic approval when embedded with the music.
- Spotify describes the rollout as a limited beta but says it will expand the feature to all artists as soon as possible.
Why it matters: Artists gain direct control over their catalogs, preventing impostor and AI‑generated tracks from damaging their brand, while Spotify bolsters platform integrity; the added approval step poses a challenge for independent creators and small labels with limited resources, potentially slowing release cycles for those without dedicated teams.
