specifically, compressing the audio quality of a stream that the listener can discern.”
At Spotify’s quarterly earnings call, the company reported on AI’s impact on their business. Users are having success with its AI DJ feature, which allows for personalized music selections and includes a realistic-sounding DJ voice powered by AI. However, AI can also negatively affect sound quality in streamed audio, resulting in an audible compression. Employing AI to make tunes that manipulatively resemble the voices of existing performers without their agreement, thus provoking copyright worries and posing higher difficulties for platforms like itself.
Recent news focused on the dilemma of a song featuring the remixes of Drake’s and The Weeknd’s voices created using synthetic intelligence being uploaded to various listening sites including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube, and Deezer.
Soon after its release, Spotify and other streaming services removed the track, sparking criticism from Universal Music Group. They questioned what side of history people want to be on: supporting artists, their fans, and preserving creativity, or defending synthetic audio, deception and denying producers and artists their proper recognition and payment?
At the Q1 2023 investor meeting, it was inquired of Spotify what their plan was to deal with this issue in the future.
Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, characterized the problem as intricate and ever-changing and could not suggest a fix right now.
He remarked about the swiftness of AI technology development, remarking that it was unprecedented in his experience with technology.
Ek commented that Spotify must navigate between the two objectives of being a platform which allows creativity to be born and protecting established creators and performers. He emphasized that Spotify takes these tasks seriously.
We are continuously talking with the industry about these matters. It is essential to emphasize that there is a range of situations from performers making false songs to taking advantage of AI to permit for development, which usually falls into the less stringent and more straightforward classes, Ek went on to say.
These issues are incredibly intricate and cannot be resolved with a single response…Nonetheless, we are in continual conversations with our allies, creators, and performers and are determined to find a balance between allowing fresh ideas and, of course, safeguarding performers.
When further prodded about how advancements in AI could realistically affect the company, Ek accepted that the direction AI is moving in is both “extremely provocative and frightening” and that there is a chance of it presenting a danger to the broader environment.
I believe the whole business is attempting to figure out what to do regarding artificial intelligence training and I would definitely classify it as a risky venture due to the amount of uncertainty throughout the whole system, he commented.
At the same time, Ek highlighted that the organization is taking advantage of AI in different areas.
Spotify has recently created a new function based on AI technology that is becoming increasingly popular.
This feature is still quite new, having only recently been released to Spotify users prior to their Stream On event in March. At this event, Spotify revealed their updated user interface with its emphasis on videos, which was improved by the use of algorithms and machine learning, as well as introducing a range of new features for both artists and podcasters.
Although the AI DJ is only available in North America, and is still in its testing phase, it is said to be reaching millions of active users every week, according to Spotify. On days in which users opt to use the DJ feature, their consumption makes up over a quarter of all usage.
The new feature has proven successful, likely thanks to Spotify’s investment in AI technology, making it a positive experience.
The CEO also commented on the potential for AI to aid composers in creating music without needing to know technical music production skills. He articulated a vision of musicians speaking verbal instructions to the AI, such as “make it more upbeat” or “add some congas to the track,” to customize the work.
He declared that it had the potential to significantly support the imaginative process that many artists go through.
Ek stressed the contrast between an AI-driven feature such as a DJ, and the worries related to AI producing counterfeit tracks.
I believe it is essential to be distinct between the Artificial Intelligence (AI) DJ topic and the AI conversation. We have received only positive responses regarding AI DJ from the trade. The discord from the copyright sector or labels, and mass media organizations, is centred around pertinent questions such as identity and likeness; who has a copyright to something when a file is uploaded and falsely claimed to be from Drake and related themes. Ek acknowledged that these worries were valid.
Ek indicated that they are collaborating with their associates to find a balance between granting innovation and shielding all the producers present on their online service.
The company revealed that its income for the first quarter of the year improved by 14% from the previous year to €3.04 billion, and its advertising revenue went up 17% to €329 million. Spotify also achieved an important goal with the announcement that it has obtained 500 million users, but its portion of paid members decreased to 40% of the total of paid and free listeners, with 210 million being on a premium plan and 317 million taking advantage of the ad-supported option.
