We Are Winning! (Update)
It’s nice to have good news to share from the music industry. And today I do.
In my latest article I criticized Spotify for allowing uploads of unauthorized AI tracks to the profiles of dead musicians.
But the company may finally be listening to criticisms of its AI policies. In this case, Spotify has now taken steps to stop the abuses, and a spokesperson reached out to me today with an update and expressing a clear and proper policy on AI fraud.
I share it below (and have also updated my article):
“We've flagged the issue to SoundOn, the distributor of the content in question, and it has been removed. This violates Spotify’s deceptive content policies, which prohibit impersonation intended to mislead, such as replicating another creator’s name, image, or description, or posing as a person, brand, or organization in a deceptive manner. This is not allowed. We take action against licensors and distributors who fail to police for this kind of fraud and those who commit repeated or egregious violations can and have been permanently removed from Spotify.”
They acted quickly, and I give them credit for that.
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This new step, combined with the platform’s recent crackdown on the Velvet Sundown AI band, tells me that our complaints are now getting heard.
The simple fact that a Spotify spokesperson responded to an article here is an encouraging sign. That’s never happened before.
I recently suggested (in an article optimistically entitled “We Are Winning!”) that the AI situation may have started to turn. In the last three weeks I’ve seen signs that the public backlash against AI slop is finally having an impact. Some big platforms are taking prudent steps, and we might really see them act more responsibly in the future.
If that happens it will be (in some small part) because of us. That’s a win worth celebrating.
In any event, I’ll be covering future developments here.
Ted is one of the few pushing back against the endless hype. Also worth reading Ed Zitron; his latest from yesterday called "The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble" (https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui/) is a masterpiece. I don't understand why the news media doesn't muster a smidge of skepticism and question the AI industry's ludicrous claims. Our society is at stake.
Good stuff! Just as bad behavior can use a spotlight, good (or good-ish) behavior also deserves to be pointed out. I respectfully disagree with other commenters who want to downplay Spotify's response. Sure, they are reacting in a way that they perceive to be in their self-interest.... but they still reacted appropriately. Perhaps these commenters have never thanked their kid for (a) taking out the garbage, (b) cleaning their room, (c) walking the dog, etc. Positive reinforcement is OK. It's not consorting with the enemy.