Hello! Welcome to Friday and the latest issue of the Spotify Newsletter!

Spotify recently purged tens of thousands of AI-generated songs from its vast digital music library. The problem doesn’t appear to have been the songs themselves—which were generated using a proprietary AI software. Instead, Spotify was concerned about the listeners—who, as it turns out, were also generated by software.

Here I am obsessing over my Spotify Wrapped and meanwhile the ‘AI Music War’ is in full swing.

It seems the AI Team at Spotify is going to be the place to be at headquarters.

I’ll be curious to see - down the road - how much Spotify will possibly acquiesce to the AI wave and begin to incorporate AI-generated music into their platform… assuming it becomes more prevalent. Perhaps none at all. The above note about the purge paints an aggressively anti-AI Music picture.

If there’s a balance to be had I’m not sure what it is yet.

They have already moved forward with AI to enhance music recommendations and personalized playlists. But AI-generated music is a whole other bag of potatoes.

There’s also the possibility that Spotify could partner with different companies that specialize in AI-generated music to offer exclusive content or features. I’m still not clear what the general consensus is among music fans / music streaming fans about AI Music.

Is there a demand I’m not seeing? Or is this simply the innovators flexing their creative AI muscle across the music business?

The AI and music symbiosis will be very interesting indeed. Have a great day - a super weekend!

★In the SPOTlight★

️⭐️ How Spotify Built an AI DJ

For Spotify, the creation of its artificial intelligence DJ — which launched in beta version for Premium subscribers in the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 22 — represents the culmination of what the company has been working toward for years.

⭐️ Spotify Cracks Down on AI-Generated Music Streaming Fraud

The problem of bot farms playing the same tracks over and over to manipulate streaming data may not be entirely new. However, as generative AI tools become increasingly mainstream, it is taking on a new dimension for the music industry. 

⭐️ Boomy’s AI-generated tracks start landing back on Spotify amid growing battle against artificial streaming

Less than a week after uploads to Spotify from AI-powered music creation app Boomy were blocked over concerns about artificial streaming, Boomy says it’s back in business on the prominent music streaming platform.

⭐️ Daft Punk Have Hidden Coordinates in their Spotify Tracks

When playing various songs on "Random Access Memories" fans can see a date and coordinates to cities like Paris, New York City, Tokyo, and more.

🗣 Podcast Action 🗣

Spotify podcast earnings: Moving beyond the investment phase

🎧 The Playlist List 🎧

The Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' joins Spotify's Billions Club

A Deep Dive into the Melodic House Movement: The Top Spotify Playlists

Eurovision Streaming Success – The highest-earning Eurovision winners on Spotify

Usher's 'Yeah' hits one billion Spotify streams

💡 Tips & Tricks 💡

How to improve the quality of Spotify streaming audio

Spotify High Quality Audio: How To Enable 320Kbps Streaming

How to Change the Cover Image for Your Spotify Playlist

🤖 Spot(ai)fy 🤖

Spotify has reportedly removed tens of thousands of AI-generated songs

📝 Ek Notes 📝

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says that AI “could be potentially huge for creativity”

🖌 Design Notes 🖌

How does Spotify know what you like? Expert sheds light on 'recommender' systems at U of T event

Wear OS Tiles can now animate, new Spotify, WhatsApp Tiles coming

Check Out Sonido Perpetuo, Our New Public Studio Built for Medellín’s Emerging Talent

💰 Spotify Stock 💰

147.05 (at the time of this writing) :)

🔥 Extra News 🔥

New streaming study focuses on Swedish artists’ Spotify payouts

Thorn Joins the Spotify Safety Advisory Council

Who killed Spotify HiFi?

Spotify's Research Data Aims For Radio's Advertisers

Ferrari F1 Driver Charles Leclerc Released a Single on Spotify. Naturally, Here's My Review

Spotify HiFi is never coming, and that's just fine

Is Fingerprinting the future of Music Detection?

🎵 New Adventures 🎵

Tonight It's You Cheap Trick

Summer Song Surfer Blood

Feel Again Nick Lowe

Memo From Turner Mick Jagger

Saved Bob Dylan

Warwick Avenue Duffy

Houses On The Hill Whiskeytown

End Of The Line Roxy Music

📧 Get in touch 📧

If you have a question, idea, request, or simply a desire to chat about Spotify, please email me at jeff.spotifynewsletter@gmail.com.

😀 Have a Nice Weekend! 😀

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