On Oct 20, 2026, Spotify said it had taken “more than 50 million slop and spam tracks out of recommendations” this year, on top of “more than 75 million spammy tracks we’ve removed from our platform altogether for serious or repeated violations of our rules” (Spotify Newsroom). Spotify did not name any artists or tracks, and neither do we.
“Out of recommendations” is not “removed”
The two numbers describe different things:
- Taken out of recommendations (50M+): Spotify changed its recommendation system so these tracks stop being pushed to you. Its editors also “don’t program content identified as slop or spam” (Spotify Newsroom). Spotify’s artist pages describe its Music Spam Filter as a system that “keeps it out of recommendations and discovery” (Spotify for Artists). Spotify has not said these tracks were deleted.
- Removed from the platform (75M+): this is for “serious or repeated violations” (Spotify Newsroom). Spotify’s artist pages say “over 75M tracks have been removed since September 2025” (Spotify for Artists).
“Slop and spam” is not the same as “AI”. Spotify says it looks at “listener engagement and feedback, upload patterns, metadata, and information from multiple third-party AI detection tools”, and admits that “AI detection technology in particular has limitations”. It also hunts for mass uploads, duplicates, SEO manipulation, spammy playlist networks and artificially short tracks (Spotify Newsroom). So a missing song is not proof it was AI, and an AI song that is still recommended has not been cleared.
What does get removed outright
Spotify’s rules for removal cover:
- Voice clones. Spotify “will remove music that impersonates another artist’s voice without their permission”, whether by AI voice cloning or any other method. It needs a claim from the artist or someone acting for them, because it doesn’t know whether a use is a cleared sample or collaboration (Spotify Support).
- Severe or repeated spam, copyright violations and music under the wrong name (Spotify for Artists).
- Artificial streams don’t earn royalties or count toward charts, and can lead to removal or account suspension (Spotify for Artists).
How this fits with Spotify’s AI labels
The removals sit next to Spotify’s labels; they don’t replace them (Spotify Newsroom):
- AI Persona badges mark artists whose identity is AI-generated; Spotify’s artist pages say a badge is either self-disclosed by the artist or applied by Spotify. Spotify says “thousands” are labeled, and they are left out of editorial and algorithmic recommendations by default unless, for example, you follow one. See what Spotify’s AI Persona label means.
- AI Credits show which roles on a track were made with AI. Artists add them through certain distributors. They are in beta, visible only on mobile in Song Credits and the Now Playing view, and don’t appear on artist profiles or as track labels (Spotify Support).
- Verified by Spotify is on more than 300,000 artists and lets listeners know “a real, identifiable person is behind the music” (Spotify Newsroom).
The Verge notes that Spotify stopped short of mandating labels on all AI tracks (The Verge). Our Spotify label page tracks what Spotify shows today.
What listeners can do
- Keep a track out of your recommendations. “Exclude track from your taste profile” means your listens to it have less effect on Discover Weekly, your Home page and Wrapped. It takes effect within 48 hours. “Hide” only stops a song playing in one playlist, and doesn’t change your taste profile (Spotify Support).
- Check the artist and the credits. Look for an AI Persona badge or the Verified by Spotify badge, and on mobile open Song Credits or the Now Playing view for AI credits (Spotify Support).
- Use other services’ filters if you want AI music out entirely. See how to block AI music on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube Music.
What artists can do
- Use Artist Profile Protection if you have it. It is in limited beta, so not every artist can turn it on yet. You get an email when a release listing you is delivered, and you can remove yourself from releases that aren’t yours. A declined release won’t appear on your profile, count toward your stats or reach your listeners’ recommendations. Spotify says it will be available to all artists by the end of 2026 (Spotify for Artists, Spotify Newsroom).
- Report it. Spotify has separate routes for infringement or rule violations, suspicious playlists, and content on the wrong profile (Spotify for Artists). For a cloned voice, file a Publicity / Likeness claim (Spotify Support).
- Disclose your own AI use with AI Credits through a distributor that supports them (Spotify Support).
Tracks need at least 1,000 streams in 12 months to earn recorded royalties (Spotify for Artists). Spotify says “tracks with indicators showing a high probability of being AI-generated are 10 times more likely to fall below the threshold” (Spotify Newsroom).
Sources
- Spotify Newsroom: One Year In: Putting Human Artistry First on Spotify checked Oct 23, 2026
- Spotify for Artists: Building a Trusted Platform checked Oct 23, 2026
- Spotify for Artists: Introducing Artist Profile Protection checked Oct 23, 2026
- Spotify Support: AI credits on Spotify checked Oct 23, 2026
- Spotify Support: Music that impersonates another artist's voice checked Oct 23, 2026
- Spotify Support: Exclude a playlist or track from your taste profile checked Oct 23, 2026
- The Verge: Spotify pulled 50 million AI slop and spam tracks from its recommendations checked Oct 23, 2026