Spotify is full of AI music

Scope of the Problem: AI Music, Ghost Artists, and “Perfect Fit Content”

• Many commenters say Spotify is increasingly filled with low‑quality, generic or artifact‑laden tracks that resemble AI output.
• Separate but related: “ghost artists” or stock-music producers are allegedly commissioned cheaply and pushed into curated playlists to reduce royalty costs.
• A linked exposé is cited describing Spotify’s “Perfect Fit Content” program: in contexts where users just want background sound, Spotify substitutes cheaper own‑brand tracks.
• Some argue it’s unclear how much of this content is truly AI‑generated versus human‑made “ghost” music; the article is criticized as weakly evidenced on the AI claim.

Fairness, Compensation, and Impact on Musicians

• Strong sentiment that AI and ghost music shortchange musicians whose work trained the models or shaped listener taste, yet who receive no additional compensation.
• Streaming economics are criticized as exploitative even before AI; labels and big intermediaries are called the primary “cancer.”
• Some note there is already massive oversupply of music, limiting earnings regardless; AI further crowds the field and may make viable careers rarer.

User Experience: Enshittification and Discovery Decline

• Long‑time users report recommendation quality declining: more generic tracks, AI‑like songs, and playlist padding instead of meaningful discovery.
• Complaints that playlists start with real artists, then degrade into indistinguishable slop.
• Many dislike that Spotify’s incentives favor cheap, royalty‑light content (AI, ghost tracks, podcasts, audiobooks) over high‑royalty music.
• App bloat (podcasts, audiobooks, promos) and non‑random “shuffle” behavior are recurring frustrations.

Ethics, Controls, and Detection

• Calls for a hard toggle to exclude AI content, but skepticism that Spotify will add one due to financial incentives.
• Some say they can’t reliably tell AI from human music, especially in ambient genres, making any control difficult.
• Broader worries about “dead internet”/“dark forest” dynamics: content and even social interaction becoming bot‑dominated and untrustworthy.

User Responses and Alternatives

• Many describe cancelling or planning to leave Spotify for Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, YouTube Music, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or offline libraries and local radio.
• Others accept AI music for low‑stakes background use (coding, workouts, elevators) but want clearly human music for active listening.
• A minority are enthusiastic about AI tools enabling non‑musicians or constrained musicians to realize ideas, while critics say this erases genuine creative labor.