Recorded music submitted to Australian chart compilers must now be “substantially human-created” to qualify for placement, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (Aria). The updated guidelines, reported by the BBC, aim to highlight the human side of artistic expression following a public controversy over an AI-generated cover of Madonna’s 1989 hit “Like A Prayer.” … Read more
Spotify is rolling out a new “AI Persona” labeling system to identify songs created by artificial intelligence, according to an announcement from the streaming platform. The world’s largest music streaming service stated that it wants customers to know which tracks are made by real artists and which ones are generated artificially. Under the new rollout, … Read more
Spotify users can now disable music videos, Canvas animations, and video podcasts through the app’s settings, providing a way to reduce data usage and avoid unwanted playback. This update follows widespread user frustration over videos playing automatically by default, which often consumed significant battery life and bandwidth without clear opt-out controls. How to Disable Video … Read more
Lorde has publicly challenged Spotify’s “About the Song” feature, accusing the platform of generating inaccurate metadata and infringing upon artistic autonomy. The New Zealand singer-songwriter criticized the AI-driven tool after it misattributed a specific stage performance to her track “Current Affairs,” prompting a broader debate over how streaming services curate and interpret musical narratives without … Read more
Spotify is integrating generative AI into its mobile interface, allowing Premium subscribers in the U.S., Sweden, and Ireland to engage in interactive, back-and-forth conversations to discover and manage audio content. According to the company, the beta feature enables users to ask for music recommendations, query listening history, and perform app actions like saving songs or … Read more
Raim Laode’s song “Iqro” has become a viral sensation on TikTok, where users are repurposing the melancholic track for comedic short-form videos. Instead of resisting the trend, Laode has embraced the humor by reposting user content and updating his Spotify background to feature a compilation of these funny videos, according to reports from Detikcom on … Read more
How Spotify’s Revenue Model Favors a Tiny Elite—and What It Means for Music’s Future Spotify paid out nearly $350 million in royalties to French rights holders in 2025—but just 100 artists earned over $500,000, while most struggle with four-figure payouts. The streaming giant’s pro-rata system, where top acts like Jul capture the lion’s share of … Read more
Norwegian Country Music’s Rising Star: How Ingrid Vårvik’s Trøndelag Roots Are Redefining a Genre Ingrid Vårvik’s debut at Norway’s largest festival, Sommerfest, marks a turning point for the country music revival sweeping Scandinavia—one where regional authenticity is the new global draw. With over 1.6 million streams for her viral hit “Ælsk nånn,” a Trøndelag dialect … Read more
The Death of the Walled Garden: The Shift Toward Platform-Agnostic Video For years, the podcasting world has been a battleground of “walled gardens.” If you wanted the full benefit of a platform’s video capabilities, you often had to upload your content specifically to that platform, duplicating your workflow and splitting your analytics. The recent move … Read more
The Streaming Landscape in 2026: How Bruno Mars’ Rise Signals a Shift in Music Consumption Bruno Mars’ ascent to the top of Spotify’s monthly listeners chart in March 2026 isn’t just a victory for the artist; it’s a bellwether for the evolving dynamics of music streaming. With approximately 135.7 million monthly listeners, Mars edged out … Read more