Apps & Consumer
Spotify brings Merlin into its AI remix and covers project
Spotify said its licensing partner Merlin has joined Universal Music Group on the company's upcoming AI covers-and-remixes product, bringing more than 30,000 independent labels into a catalog that lets fans create AI remixes and covers with artists' consent.
During its second-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, Spotify again teased the upcoming release of a new product that will let music fans use AI to make covers and remixes of artists’ music, with the artists’ consent. The company also announced that Merlin, a licensing partner for independent labels and distributors, has now joined Universal Music Group (UMG) on the AI music effort. The deal brings more than 30,000 labels from Merlin’s network into the product, which will allow fan-made covers and remixes by artists who agree to participate.
Spotify has positioned its AI music product as distinct from the more controversial AI music startups used to create fully artificial songs, with co-CEO Gustav Söderström telling investors on Tuesday’s call that the product is about “real artists, not fake artists.” Co-CEO Alex Norström added: “We want artists to be consenting [to add] their work into this catalog, so people can play around with covers and remixes based on their art. We also obviously want to give them credit. And last but not least…we not only have the consent and give credit, but we also drive the compensation for this. So, really, we’re talking about the first legal way to partake in this AI tailwind that we see coming for interactive music.”
AI music has flooded streaming services: music streamer Deezer recently noted that more than 50% of daily track uploads were AI-generated, up from 10% in January 2025. Spotify told investors that a research preview of the fan remix and covers product would initially be made available to a subset of users, without requiring a full music catalog to get started, though the company did not say when the preview would arrive. The tool will launch as a paid add-on, creating an additional revenue stream for artists, Spotify has previously said.
Why it matters
By tying its AI remix product to artist consent, credit, and compensation, Spotify is betting it can carve out a legal, licensed lane for AI-generated music just as unlicensed AI tracks are overwhelming competing platforms.