Spotify partners with Merlin on AI remix and covers tool as UMG backs initiative

Spotify has partnered with Merlin to expand its forthcoming AI remix and covers tool, with the indie rights agency joining Universal Music Group in backing the product, TechCrunch reports. Announced today, the move brings more than 30,000 independent labels and distributors under the umbrella of the project, according to TechCrunch. It signals growing industry alignment around a paid feature that lets fans generate covers and remixes of participating artists’ tracks while keeping control and payouts in rights holders’ hands.

Spotify says artists will opt in, receive credit, and be compensated for uses, and the tool will be limited to licensed catalogs from partners. No pricing or launch date was disclosed, TechCrunch says. Watch for product rollout details, initial participating rosters, and how Spotify enforces attribution and revenue splits across remixes and covers. [Developing. This article will be updated.]