Spotify plans to launch a paid, AI-driven feature that will allow subscribers to create remixes and reinterpretations of existing tracks, with a tentative availability in the first quarter of 2027. According to the Financial Times, the company aims to time the official unveiling around the February 2027 Grammy Awards.
Timing and pricing
Internal plans indicate the feature could roll out in Q1 2027. Spotify is considering an additional monthly fee of $4–5 on top of existing subscriptions (roughly 1500–1800 HUF), although final pricing and the exact launch date remain undecided.
What the feature will do
The tool would enable paying users to transform participating artists’ existing recordings using AI: for example, turning a folk song into electronic dance music or altering a track so it sounds as if another performer were singing. Spotify says this approach differs from generative systems that create entirely new songs from text prompts; its solution would only allow modifications of tracks that artists have opted into.
Licensing and negotiations
To launch the service, Spotify needs appropriate licensing agreements. The company has reached deals with Universal Music Group, Merlin (representing independent labels), and Believe, but negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music are still underway. Crucially, despite label-level agreements, individual artists will be able to decide whether to allow their songs to be used in the system.
Spotify and Universal are currently consulting with musicians, and sources say today’s top superstars are harder to persuade than older, established artists. Olivia Rodrigo, who is signed to Universal, has publicly rejected the use of AI on her music in a recent interview.
Royalties, playlists and chart impact
Under the plans, royalties from fan-made remixes would flow back to the original performers, and completed works could appear on playlists. The listening generated by these remixes would also count toward the original songs’ chart positions.
Strategic context
Gustav Söderström, Spotify’s co-CEO, told investors in September that artists from the 1980s and 1990s could particularly benefit: instead of hoping another musician will cover their work for extra revenue, fans themselves could create remixes that directly increase the original creators’ share of streaming income.
The new offering fits Spotify’s broader strategy to generate more revenue from its existing user base and to sustain roughly 15 percent annual growth through 2030. Ian Moore, an analyst at Bernstein, estimates that by the end of 2028 some 7–8 percent of U.S. Spotify subscribers could pay for the AI add-on, which would meaningfully contribute to the company’s financial targets.
Final notes
Spotify’s planned feature highlights how the music industry is exploring AI-driven monetization while underscoring the importance of resolving legal and rights issues before launch. The company is still refining details such as final pricing, launch timing and the roster of participating artists.
