Spotify targets early 2027 for AI remix and covers service

Spotify is targeting the first quarter of 2027 for an AI-powered remix and covers service that would allow paying subscribers to alter existing songs, according to reports. The timing remains provisional, but the company could announce the product around the Grammy Awards in February.

The proposed service would let users remake a folk recording as a dance track or generate a version that sounds as if it were performed by a particular artist. Spotify is considering an extra monthly charge of $4 to $5 for the features, on top of a Premium subscription. The company declined to comment on the reported plans, and its shares rose nearly 6% on Friday after the reports.

The product would depend on licences and individual artists choosing to participate. Spotify is still discussing catalogues with Sony Music and Warner Music Group, while it has reached agreements with Universal Music Group, Merlin and Believe. Spotify and Universal have also met individual artists to seek permissions; current pop stars have reportedly been harder to win over than veteran performers.

A label deal would not automatically make an artist’s work available. Participating artists retain the final choice, and Believe and TuneCore use a two-stage consent process: artists first agree to be considered for AI programmes, then decide whether to join Spotify’s partnership.

Spotify publicly confirmed its agreement with Believe on Oct. 20. It said the forthcoming tool would create licensed remixes and covers rather than wholly new works, with streamed remixes generating royalties for participating artists and the original works’ rights holders. Every remix is intended to link back to its source track and artist, while Spotify says it is strengthening measures against AI spam, impersonation and deception.

The reported service would differ from text-to-music generators such as Suno by using recordings from artists who have explicitly authorised participation. Spotify’s proposal would return royalty revenue from fan-created remixes to the original artists, and it is developing playlist placement in which remix streams contribute to the source song’s performance on its official charts.

The plans sharpen a product outline that had previously lacked a public launch date or price. In August, Gustav Söderström said Spotify’s next step would be a research preview for a subset of users, while the company said it did not need agreements with every major label before launching. The first-quarter target is now the next reported milestone.