Spotify has removed more than 75 million AI-generated “spammy” tracks from its platform over the past year as the music streaming giant steps up efforts to combat streaming fraud, artist impersonation and low-quality content flooding its catalogue. The move marks one of the biggest crackdowns yet on AI-generated music, highlighting the growing challenge artificial intelligence poses to the music industry.
The figure was revealed by Spotify’s Global Head of Artist and Industry Partnerships, Sam Duboff, and later confirmed by the company in a newsroom update outlining its latest AI policies. Spotify said the removals form part of broader efforts to protect artists, producers and songwriters from deceptive AI-generated content while maintaining trust on the platform.
“We’ve invested massively in fighting spam over the past decade,” Spotify said in its statement. “In the past 12 months alone, a period marked by the explosion of generative AI tools, we’ve removed over 75 million spammy tracks from Spotify.”
The company stressed that it is not banning AI-generated music outright. Instead, the crackdown targets content created to manipulate Spotify’s royalty system, impersonate artists or deceive listeners. New enforcement measures include stronger rules against AI-generated vocal deepfakes, an upgraded spam filtering system and support for industry standards that allow creators to voluntarily disclose when AI has been used during music production.
The announcement comes as concerns grow over the rapid rise of AI-generated music across streaming services. French music platform Deezer recently reported that more than half of all new tracks uploaded to its service are now AI-generated, equating to around 90,000 songs every day. The platform has responded by expanding its AI detection technology and has begun systematically removing AI-generated tracks linked to streaming fraud or songs that remain unplayed for more than six months.
The influx of AI-generated music has raised alarm across the industry, with critics arguing that mass-produced tracks can dilute royalty payments for human musicians while making it increasingly difficult for listeners to distinguish authentic music from AI-created content. Researchers studying the phenomenon found that most AI-generated songs receive little engagement but are often uploaded in large volumes in the hope that some will generate enough streams to earn revenue.
Spotify’s latest actions also follow growing concerns over AI-generated impersonations of well-known artists. Cases have emerged in which fake albums or songs have appeared under legitimate artists’ profiles, prompting calls for stronger verification systems and greater platform accountability.
While Spotify maintains that generative AI can be a valuable creative tool when used responsibly, the company says its priority is ensuring artists retain control over how AI is used in their work.
“We envision a future where artists and producers are in control of how or if they incorporate AI into their creative processes,” Spotify said. “We’ll continue our work to protect them against spam, impersonation and deception, while providing listeners with greater transparency about the music they hear.”
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated and accessible, the music industry faces mounting pressure to balance technological innovation with protecting creators’ livelihoods. Spotify’s removal of more than 75 million fraudulent tracks signals that major streaming platforms are beginning to take a firmer stance, but with AI-generated uploads continuing to rise, the battle is far from over.
