Tag: UMG

Spotify and Universal Music Group Announce Landmark Licensing Agreements for Fan-Made Covers and Remixes

May 21, 2026

a graphic green design of rectangles with the green spotify logo on top

Groundbreaking responsible AI tool to launch as paid add-on for Spotify Premium users  

Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) today announced landmark recorded music and music publishing licensing agreements enabling Spotify to launch a new tool allowing fans to create covers and remixes of their favorite songs from participating artists and songwriters.  

This groundbreaking tool will be powered by generative AI technology that will open up additional revenue streams and new ways to drive discovery. It introduces a creation model where artists and songwriters can directly share in the value generated through AI-driven licensed covers and remixes on the Spotify platform.  

The new tool will launch as a paid add-on for Spotify Premium users and create an additional source of income for artists and songwriters, on top of what they already earn on Spotify.  

“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part. Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters,” said Alex Norström, Co-CEO, Spotify.  

“The most valuable innovations in the music business always bring artists and fans closer together. That principle is at the heart of this pioneering AI-enabled superfan initiative, which is designed to support human artistry, deepen fan relationships, and create additional revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters. Building on our long track record of leading the industry through technology changes, and collaborating with Alex, Gustav, Daniel and the team at Spotify, this initiative is firmly artist-centric, rooted in responsible AI, and will drive growth for the entire ecosystem,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group.

About Spotify 

Since its launch in 2008, Spotify has revolutionised music listening. Our move into podcasting brought innovation and a new generation of listeners to the medium. In 2022, we took the next leap, entering the fast-growing audiobook market—continuing to shape the future of audio. Today, more listeners than ever can discover, manage and enjoy over 100 million tracks, 7 million podcast titles, and 700,000 audiobooks on Spotify. We are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with 761 million users, including 293 million subscribers, in 184 markets.

About Universal Music Group 

At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms, and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com. 

Universal Music Group and Spotify Strike a New Multiyear Agreement

January 26, 2025

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and Spotify, today announced new, multi-year agreements for Recorded Music and Music Publishing focused on growth, innovation, and the advancement of artists’ and songwriters’ success.

“When we first presented our vision for the next stage in the evolution of music subscription several months ago—Steaming 2.0—this is precisely the kind of partnership development we envisioned,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group. “This agreement furthers and broadens the collaboration with Spotify for both our labels and music publisher, advancing artist-centric principles to drive greater monetization for artists and songwriters, as well as enhancing product offerings for consumers.”

“For nearly two decades, Spotify has made good on its commitment to return the music industry to growth, ensuring that we deliver record payouts to the benefit of artists and songwriters each new year,” said Daniel Ek, Spotify’s Founder and CEO. “This partnership ensures we can continue to deliver on this promise by embracing the certainty that constant innovation is key to making paid music subscriptions even more attractive to a broader audience of fans around the world.”

Under the new agreements, UMG and Spotify will collaborate closely to advance the next era of streaming innovation. Artists, songwriters and consumers will benefit from new and evolving offers, new paid subscription tiers, bundling of music and non-music content, and a richer audio and visual content catalog. By deepening audience experiences, driving further engagement and amplifying the connection between artists, songwriters and their fans, the collaboration between these two companies will position the industry for continued subscriber growth and retention.

The new publishing agreement also establishes a direct license between Spotify and Universal Music Publishing Group across Spotify’s current product portfolio in the U.S. and several other countries, which reinforces a mutually beneficial relationship for songwriters on the platform.

Finally, the new agreements renew the companies’ commitment to artist-centric principles, ensuring that artists continue to be properly rewarded for the share of audience engagement that they drive and that their streaming royalties remain protected through the platforms’ application of its fraud detection and enforcement systems.