Spotify has defended its expansion into artificial intelligence-generated music, arguing the move provides a regulated alternative to piracy and the growing volume of unlicensed AI-generated content circulating online.

The streaming platform recently announced a new feature that will allow premium subscribers to create AI-generated remixes and song covers using tracks from participating artists.

The company says the tool is designed to give users creative flexibility while ensuring rights holders remain in control of how their music is used.

The rollout follows a partnership agreement with Universal Music Group, a deal that helped push Spotify’s shares up by about 16 per cent last week.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Spotify executive Alex Norström said the company aims to provide a “controlled” system where artists can opt in to AI usage of their work and earn revenue from it, rather than having their music exploited through piracy or unregulated tools.

“There’s a lot of rogue attempts at this,” Norström said, adding that Spotify’s approach is designed to ensure transparency and compensation for creators.

The feature will be offered as a paid add-on for premium users and is expected to allow “one song to become 10,000,” according to Norström, underscoring the company’s push to expand personalised, AI-driven listening and creation tools within its platform.