Spotify has just announced a new checkmark identification to distinguish real artists from AI artists, along with other new features.
With the green checkmark on the artist page, fans will know that the creator has met Spotify’s criteria for “authenticity and trust,” states Spotify’s official press release. This criteria includes consistent listener activity and engagement, a good standing with Spotify’s platform policies, and signals of a real artist represented in the profile.
The streaming platform says:
“We’ll pair these standards with human review and judgment to identify real artists behaving in good-faith, not just filtering out bad actors, giving you a more reliable signal of the authentic artistry behind the music.”
The new checkmark is set to be rolled out over the next couple weeks with the streaming platform also announcing new features currently in beta. One of those features is a new section on artist pages that lists the artist’s career milestones along with touring and release activity.
The new features are a response to growing concerns about AI taking revenue away from real artists, but some critics have noted that the vague language regarding the “consistent listener activity and engagement over time” criteria may lead to small indie artists also not gaining a Verified By Spotify badge. Others have wondered why Spotify hasn’t begun explicitly labelling AI-generated content as AI, like its competitor Deezer has.
Still, the new announcement highlights how the music industry is evolving in response to the rapid growth of generative AI within music.
