The licensing partner adds more than 30,000 independent labels to the fan-made remix and covers product.

Spotify expanded its AI remix and covers project by adding Merlin as a licensing partner. Merlin joins Universal Music Group to support a product that lets fans create covers and remixes of artists’ music with the artists’ consent. The deal brings more than 30,000 independent labels to the effort.

Spotify’s co-CEOs said the product will focus on real artists, with consent, credit, and compensation. The company positions it as a legal alternative to startups that generate fully synthetic songs. Meanwhile, Deezer said AI now produces more than 50 percent of daily uploads, up from 10 percent in January 2025.

Spotify’s approach gives AI developers a consent-based model to build against. The product also demonstrates how platforms can compensate rights holders for machine-made remixes. Enterprise teams should track how the paid add-on performs as a new revenue stream for artists.

Spotify plans to launch the remix and covers product as a paid add-on. A research preview will reach a subset of users first, but the company has not set a date. Spotify also said the product will not require a full music catalog to get started.

What matters

• Spotify added Merlin as a licensing partner for its AI-powered remix and covers product.
• For AI developers, the product creates a legal framework for remixes that compensates artists.
• Spotify plans to release an initial research preview of the remix tool to a subset of users.

Why it matters

Spotify plans to release an initial research preview of the remix tool to a subset of users.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by TechCrunch AI. Source reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/04/spotify-adds-merlin-to-its-ai-music-remix-and-covers-effort/.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.