Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17794127625521779412760024.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p>Spotify. Haithem Ferdi, Unsplash</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Spotify is teaming up with Universal Music Group to let users create AI-powered remixes and covers of songs by artists on the label -- for an extra fee on top of a standard subscription.</p><p>The new feature, announced Thursday, will only apply to artists who have given their consent, and both the original performer and songwriter will receive a share of any revenue generated.</p><p>&quot;For the first time, fans will be able to legally create covers and remixes from participating artists and songwriters&#x27; catalogs, with both the original artist and the songwriter sharing in the value created,&quot; said Charlie Hellman, Spotify&#x27;s head of music, speaking at the company&#x27;s investor day.</p><p>Until now, Spotify had banned AI-generated music derived from a specific artist&#x27;s work without their express authorization, though it does allow AI music to be uploaded more broadly, including content associated with artists whose image and identity were generated using artificial intelligence.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/5/1/spotify-rolls-out-badge-to-distinguish-human-artists-from-ai-0812">Spotify rolls out badge to distinguish human artists from AI </a></div><p>The deal puts Spotify in direct competition with Suno and Udio, the two dominant AI music apps on the market, both of which have been posting strong growth.</p><p>After initially allowing users to create AI music without agreements in place with artists or labels, both startups have shifted course in recent months.</p><p>Udio has signed deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which also reached an agreement with Suno.</p><p>UMG and Sony are nonetheless still in litigation with Suno, with proceedings ongoing before a US federal court in Massachusetts.</p><p>Hellman said the feature would give artists and songwriters &quot;a brand new source of income on top of what they already earn on Spotify.&quot;</p><p>Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge called the initiative &quot;firmly artist-centric, rooted in responsible AI,&quot; saying it would &quot;drive growth for the entire ecosystem.&quot;</p><p>Also announced at the investor day, Spotify said it would give paying subscribers early access to concert tickets for their favorite artists before they go on general sale.</p><p>The new service called &quot;Reserved&quot; is launching in the United States this summer before expanding to other markets.</p><p>Subscribers will be selected based on listening data -- including how often they stream a given artist, the range of tracks they play from that artist&#x27;s catalog and whether they have saved songs to their library.</p><p>They will have around 24 hours to purchase up to two tickets through a partner ticketing platform, the company said.</p><p>Spotify said the initiative would help route tickets to genuine fans rather than scalper bots, which have long frustrated both concertgoers and artists.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/4/7/ai-generated-artists-break-through-in-country-music-1216">AI-generated artists break through in country music </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/2/21/spotify-adds-more-ai-generated-audiobooks-1045">Spotify adds more AI-generated audiobooks </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/4/1/expert-weighs-in-on-ai-s-possible-impact-to-music-industry-2233">Expert weighs in on AI&#x27;s possible impact on music industry </a></div>

<p>Spotify is teaming up with Universal Music Group to let users create AI-powered remixes and covers of songs by artists on the label -- for an extra fee on top of a standard subscription.</p>

Spotify is teaming up with Universal Music Group to let users create AI-powered remixes and covers of songs by artists on the label -- for an extra fee on top of a standard subscription.

Spotify, Universal strike deal for fan AI remixes

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Spotify, Universal strike deal for fan AI remixes

Agence France-Presse

Published May 22, 2026 09:20 AM PHT

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Updated May 22, 2026 09:21 AM PHT

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