In September 2025, Spotify announced it had removed over 75 million tracks from its platform in the previous 12 months. These removals targeted spam, fraud, and policy violations, not AI-generated music as a category. Quality AI music with genuine engagement was not affected. Understanding what was actually removed helps AI creators avoid the same fate.

What Was Actually Removed

The 75 million track removal represents spam and fraudulent content, not a ban on AI music. According to Spotify's announcement, removed content fell into these categories:

Category	Examples
Artificial streaming	Tracks inflated by bots and click farms
Mass-produced spam	Low-effort content flooding the platform
Fraudulent uploads	Content designed to exploit the royalty pool
Policy violations	Impersonation, unauthorized voice clones

Note The 75 million figure must be viewed in context: Spotify's catalog contains approximately 100 million tracks. The removal represents spam cleanup, not an AI crackdown.

Why This Cleanup Happened

Spotify's royalty payouts grew from $1 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2024. As the company acknowledged, "big payouts entice bad actors." The explosion of generative AI tools made it easier than ever to produce large volumes of content quickly, which some exploited for stream farming.

The platform's spam tactics included:

Mass uploads of near-identical tracks
Duplicate content under multiple artist names
SEO manipulation in metadata
Artificially short tracks designed to maximize play counts
Automated content flooding specific playlists

Deezer reported receiving over 30,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily by late 2025. While not all of these were spam, the volume created pressure across all platforms to tighten content policies.

What This Means for AI Music Creators

The removal was NOT about:

AI-generated music being banned
Detection systems flagging AI content
Legitimate AI creators losing their catalogs

The removal WAS about:

Fraudulent actors exploiting AI tools for spam
Stream manipulation and royalty fraud
Low-effort content flooding the platform

Your AI music is safe if:

You release quality tracks with genuine creative intent
You build real listener engagement over time
You follow platform policies on disclosure and impersonation
You avoid artificial streaming schemes

What Is the New Policy Framework?

Alongside the removal announcement, Spotify unveiled a three-pronged approach to managing AI content going forward:

1. Impersonation Policy Unauthorized AI voice clones and vocal impersonation are explicitly prohibited. Artists must authorize any AI reproduction of their voice.

2. Music Spam Filter A new automated system identifies suspicious uploads, tags them, and prevents algorithmic recommendation. This targets behavior patterns, not AI use itself.

3. AI Transparency via DDEX Spotify is adopting industry-standard disclosure for AI involvement in music credits. Creators indicate where AI was used (vocals, instrumentation, production) through distributor metadata.

What Are the Lessons for AI Music Distribution?

The 75 million removal teaches several important lessons:

Quality Over Quantity. The ability to generate music quickly does not mean you should release everything. Curate your best work rather than flooding the platform.

Natural Release Patterns. Space releases over time. Hundreds of tracks uploaded simultaneously looks like automation, regardless of quality.

Genuine Engagement. Focus on building real listeners who save tracks, add to playlists, and return to listen again. These engagement signals protect you from spam filtering.

Transparent Practices. As disclosure requirements roll out, honest attribution of AI involvement positions you as a legitimate creator rather than someone trying to hide something.

What Is the Path Forward for AI Music on Spotify?

Spotify has made clear that AI music itself is not the problem. The platform continues to welcome AI-generated content that meets its quality standards and policy requirements. The 75 million removal was housekeeping, not a policy shift against AI.

For creators using AI tools responsibly, the removal actually improves discovery conditions. Less spam in the catalog means better discovery for quality content. Stricter enforcement means legitimate creators compete on merit rather than against bad actors gaming the system.

The message is consistent: create quality music, promote it honestly, and let genuine listeners decide if it's worth their time. AI origin matters far less than whether the music serves real people.