Spotify enables artists to manually approve releases to combat AI fakes

Spotify is launching a new beta feature called Artist Profile Protection, enabling artists to review their music releases prior to going live.

Occasionally, errors in metadata or common artist names cause songs to appear on incorrect profiles.

Moreover, artists have recently become targets of impersonators and AI-generated forgeries. Profile Protection serves as a safeguard against such harmful activities.

High-profile musicians such as Drake and Beyoncé, alongside experimental artists like William Basinski and indie bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, have all encountered fraudulent tracks under their names on streaming platforms, often AI-produced.

This has incited considerable concern among artists, with King Gizzard's lead singer, Stu Mackenzie, commenting, "we are truly doomed," and Basinski describing it as "total nonsense."

Artists participating in the beta must opt in to take part. Thereafter, any music linked to their profile must receive approval—either directly from the artist or through their team—before it is shown. This review process introduces a new step for sharing tracks on Spotify.

While this enhancement offers a protective layer, requiring manual approval for each release on every streaming platform could become challenging for independent musicians and smaller labels with limited resources.

Thus, Spotify is also providing artist keys to beta users. This unique code, when included with the submitted music, automatically grants approval.

Currently described as a "limited beta," Spotify intends to extend this feature to "all artists as quickly as possible."