Spotify has signed a deal with Believe to license music for an upcoming tool that would let fans make AI-powered remixes and covers, with remix streams generating royalties for participating artists and rights holders. Spotify plans to offer the tool as an extra paid option for Spotify Premium subscribers, though its price has not been disclosed. The agreement covers participating artists and labels working with Believe and TuneCore.
The tool is intended to reinterpret existing songs rather than produce entirely new compositions, according to Spotify. The company says the additional payments would supplement the income participating artists and songwriters already receive through Spotify. Each remix would also connect listeners to the original recording and its artist, a feature Spotify says is intended to encourage discovery and renewed listening.
The agreement does not automatically put every Believe or TuneCore artist's music into the tool: participation requires two separate decisions from artists. Artists first decide whether they want consideration for programs involving AI, and only those who agree will receive the Spotify partnership proposal. They can then accept or decline participation in that specific project, under a process intended to preserve their control over uses of their music.
Spotify describes the licensed tool as a response to fan remixing that already happens widely without payments reaching artists and songwriters. Believe connects the voluntary approach to its AI principles, established in 2023, which address permission, artist control, payment and transparency. Believe is also developing further measures around its GenAI Music Content Framework and its distribution safeguards.
The partnership follows another Spotify initiative aimed at independent musicians: Fresh Finds Forward, introduced in September, was designed to provide roughly 10,000 artists annually with 12 months of support. That program draws from artists selected for Fresh Finds playlists and includes early use of certain Spotify tools, industry opportunities and studio access for participants in the United States.
Spotify says its broader AI protections target spam, deceptive content and impersonation, including measures to keep AI spam out of recommendations. The company also says artists are getting greater control over material displayed on their profiles. Listeners can see disclosures when artists identify AI use in a track, and Spotify says it is developing additional ways to make those disclosures easier to locate.
