Spotify plans to introduce features that will allow users to remix songs themselves directly on the platform, with streaming payments still going to the rights holders of the original songs.
As detailed in a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Spotify is currently considering introducing new music manipulation tools, including options to slow down, speed up, merge, and “edit” songs. Once a user creates their modified track, they can share it in “virtual collections” on Spotify, but they won't be able to share it on any other platform.
The measure comes in response to the impact that TikTok has had on the streaming industry. In February, pex shared a report that found that more than a third of total songs on the platform had some modification in speed or pitch (38.03% as of 2023, an increase of 13% from the previous year). Controversially, the modified nature of those tracks allows many of them to bypass TikTok's copyright protections, which has led to an ongoing dispute with Universal Music Group and other rights holders.
According to the WSJ In this story, Spotify hopes that its remixing tools, with built-in measures to ensure rights holders get their fair share, “will attract young users while generating new revenue for artists.”
For now, “tooling discussions are in their infancy and licensing agreements have not yet been worked out,” although it appears that basic remixing tools will be available to all Premium subscribers. Additionally, there may be “more advanced song modification” tools available for those paying a higher subscription of $19.99 per month, which could also offer 24-bit Lossless audio.
Read the full report WSJ here.
In other Spotify news, the platform recently announced that it will once again increase its Premium subscription rates in several key markets, including the US, UK, Australia, and more. Subscribers can expect rates to increase by $1 per month for individual plans and $2 per month for duo or family plans at some point in the future. But hey, at least subscribers can stream Neil Young and Joni Mitchell again.
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