Spotify is deleting millions of AI-generated music tracks to fend off spammers

[Alfonso Maruccia]

SpotiSlop: Large language models and sophisticated audio-generation tools are disrupting the traditional music industry. Digital listening platforms such as Spotify have become prime targets for AI-powered spammers, but trade organizations are fighting back with new labeling programs.

Spotify's Sam Duboff recently revealed that the platform was forced to remove 75 million AI-generated tracks in 2025 alone. As Spotify's senior director and global head of marketing, policy, and music business, Duboff believes that AI has not introduced any entirely new tactics for spam operations. However, he also argues that generative AI and other machine learning technologies have taken audio spam to the next level.

Spotify now has systems designed to combat both AI-generated "slop" uploads and data scraping by companies seeking new content to train their generative AI models. Duboff confirmed that the company has a "big team" dedicated to identifying potential new attack vectors that could make life easier for spammers (or scraping bots).

The executive also provided several eye-opening figures highlighting the growing prevalence of AI-generated music on digital platforms. Every day, bots upload around 100,000 different "songs" to Spotify's servers, and a large portion of these tracks are most likely "made" using generative AI services or custom LLM-based setups.

Duboff acknowledges that not every genAI track can simply be dismissed as slop. The 75 million songs removed last year were low-effort content with very little human creativity involved beyond a lazy chatbot prompt. However, "real" artists are increasingly using AI technology in their production workflows, blurring the lines between fake music and human-curated efforts.

Spotify is certainly embracing AI across its business these days. Earlier this year, co-CEO Gustav Söderström said that the company's engineers are essentially allowing AI agents to handle much of their coding work. Spotify also said that AI tools approved by music labels are now fair game for creating remixes and covers that can then be sold on the platform.

Beyond Spotify's growing pains with spammy tracks, generative AI is forcing the entire music industry to develop new solutions to the increasingly relevant AI slop problem. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the RIAA, and other major trade organizations recently announced a "voluntary" program to properly label AI-generated music, giving listeners a clear indication when a song has been entirely created through a chatbot prompt. These labels should also identify "AI-assisted" music that was primarily created by human artists.

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Spotify is deleting millions of AI-generated music tracks to fend off spammers

 

[godrilla]

Youtube on the other hand is growing with them exponentially.

 

[The Talking Tech]

That I do like, I applaud their efforts....we need less slop in our lives, and hoping for YouTube to do that as well.

 

[NumberNine]

First party slop only!

 

[Kirby1]

Kinda interesting that they only delete the crappy ones. Makes sense I guess.

 

[Dreadcthulhu]

Seems to me that Spotify should have a better registration system for the people who upload music, to keep it at one upload account per person/band/actual real company (and not just shell operation), and put some reasonable upload limits per account. With different types of accounts having different limits. That way artists can use AI stuff if they want as part of their works, but can't just mass upload random crap, but have to put some though into what they upload.

 

[Inthenstus]

What if the AI generated music is actually good?

 

[mbk34]

I listen to one AI tune on YT (Anne Bloom - I see a perfect girl) and, honestly, I think it's a great song.

 

[GABulldog]

Is it really a spam problem or is it because the music labels are losing their cash cow and control? Sounds like the music labels is coercing Spotify behind the scenes to delete any and all AI generated songs.

 

[Vanderlinde]

I stopped paying for Spotify. And exactly because of that. When your playlist ends it starts to shove in music based on your preferences. Fine enough. But you can tell it's mixing in songs that do not make any sense, is utterly braindead stuff and obviously is AI generated and / or to push for something I don't wanna listen to. As if it was testing my preferences, I really don't wanna be some bunny up for testing. I'm paying for a service that should be to me only.

*Starts with apple music*

 

[toooooot]

I watched a video not long ago. The man made a guess that Spotify itself (in one or another way) generates music because they do not need to pay royalties to anyone for those tracks. They can also promote those which is why so many people see those songs being suggested to them by the app.
I think eventually they will have to choose. I mean people are already asking or demanding to be able to turn AI music off. if enough people unsubscribe, they will be forced to make this option.
This is also a good time for Spotify rivals to make a strong statement by either implementing this feature or completely separate AI tracks allowing for people to never see them again if they wish