Spotify introduces verified artist badges to assist distinguish people from AI

As AI-generated artists and tracks flood music streaming platforms, Spotify is rolling out a new “Verified by Spotify” badge to help listeners more easily identify authentic human artists.

To receive the badge, artists must meet certain criteria. Spotify looks for an identifiable artist presence both on and off platform, like concert dates, merch, and linked social accounts on their artist profile. Profiles that primarily represent AI-generated music or AI-persona artists are not eligible for verification.

Additionally, artists must have consistent listener activity and engagement over time. Spotify is focusing on artist profiles that people are actively seeking out over a sustained period of time, rather than those who are experiencing one-time spikes in engagement.

At launch, more than 99% of artists that listeners actively search for will be verified. Most are independent, representing a broad mix of genres, career stages, and regions, Spotify says.

Users will start to see the new badges appear on artist profiles and next to artist names in search results over the coming weeks. The badges will feature “Verified by Spotify” text alongside a green checkmark.

Given the vast number of profiles on the platform, Spotify says verification will roll out on an ongoing basis, and that the absence of a badge does not mean a profile will not receive one in the future.

Spotify is prioritizing artists with active fan interest and notable contributions to music culture, rather than so-called “functional music” creators — think algorithm-optimized background or focus playlists — whose content is designed for passive or background listening.

“We’ve designed this new verification program thoughtfully with listeners and artists in mind, and we’ll continue to evolve this program over time,” Spotify wrote in a blog post. “Our goal is to make it easier for you to trust and understand the human artistry behind the music you listen to on Spotify, and develop long-term, meaningful connections with the artists and music you love.”

The platform is also launching a new profile section in beta across all artist profiles that will highlight career milestones, release activity, and touring activity. Spotify says this section will give users a quick way to see an artist’s authentic activity even if they haven’t yet met the criteria for a verification badge.

These updates mark Spotify’s latest efforts to address the rise of low-quality AI-generated content (AI slop) and impersonators on its platform. Last month, the company started beta testing an “Artist Profile Protection” feature that allows artists to review releases before they go live on their profiles to give them more control over which tracks are associated with their name.

Spotify launched the feature a few weeks after Sony Music said that it had requested the removal of more than 135,000 AI-generated songs impersonating its artists on streaming services.

Although Spotify hasn’t shared specifics on the number of AI tracks being added to its platform, rival streaming service Deezer announced last week that AI-generated tracks now represent 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform daily.