Spotify signs Merlin and Kobalt for its planned AI remix feature

Spotify has added Merlin and Kobalt to the licensing framework for its planned fan-made covers and remixes. The company announced the Merlin agreement on 4 August and the Kobalt publishing agreement on 13 August.

The product is expected to be a paid add-on. Listeners will be able to transform music from participating artists and songwriters, while the original creators are credited and compensated. Participation is opt-in rather than a blanket right to remix every track on Spotify.

Merlin represents independent labels, distributors and other rightsholders that together account for a significant share of the global recorded-music market. Kobalt adds a major publishing catalogue, which matters because an authorized remix may need permissions for both the recording and the composition.

The deal is clearer than the product

Spotify has not announced a public launch date, price, complete creation workflow or rules for sharing the results. It is therefore too early to describe the service as an available remix tool.

What is already clear is the commercial model: generation is being designed as a licensed activity inside the streaming service, with catalogue-by-catalogue participation. That is materially different from uploading an unlicensed AI cover and waiting for a takedown.