In brief Spotify and Universal Music Group announced licensing agreements for AI-generated fan-made covers and remixes. The paid Spotify Premium add-on will share revenue with participating artists and songwriters. The deal comes as YouTube and other platforms expand AI remix tools for us

Decrypt

2026-05-21 22:01:00

In brief

Spotify and Universal Music Group announced licensing agreements for AI-generated fan-made covers and remixes.
The paid Spotify Premium add-on will share revenue with participating artists and songwriters.
The deal comes as YouTube and other platforms expand AI remix tools for users.

Taylor Swift fans may soon be able to legally generate AI remixes of her songs on Spotify. Spotify and Universal Music Group on Thursday announced licensing agreements that will allow Spotify Premium users to create AI-generated covers and remixes using music from participating artists and songwriters. “The most valuable innovations in the music business always bring artists and fans closer together,” Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group, Lucian Grainge said in a statement. “That principle is at the heart of this pioneering AI-enabled superfan initiative, which is designed to support human artistry, deepen fan relationships, and create additional revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters.”

Universal Music Group represents artists including Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. The fight over AI-generated music grew in 2023 after a fake song using AI versions of Drake and The Weeknd’s voices spread across Spotify and YouTube before Universal Music Group forced platforms to remove it. More recently, Taylor Swift moved to trademark parts of her voice and image after AI-generated deepfakes and fake endorsements targeting the singer spread online. The announcement also comes as tech platforms increasingly experiment with AI remix tools. Earlier this week at Google I/O, YouTube introduced a Shorts Remix feature powered by Gemini Omni that allows users to reimagine other people’s videos by turning them into anime clips, pixel art, or altered scenes with added characters and effects.

Spotify said the new tool will launch as a paid add-on for Spotify Premium subscribers. Fans will be able to generate licensed covers and remixes using generative AI technology, while participating artists and songwriters will receive compensation tied to the AI-generated works created on the platform. “Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next,” Spotify Co-CEO Alex Norström said in a statement. “What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part.”

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