Verified by Spotify badge lets you know this artist isn’t AI

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Tech Close Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Tech AI Close AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All AI Entertainment Close Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Follow Follow See All Entertainment Verified by Spotify badge lets you know this artist isn’t AI But it left the door open to verifying AI acts in the future. But it left the door open to verifying AI acts in the future. by Terrence O'Brien Close Terrence O'Brien Weekend Editor Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Technical Details

Follow Follow See All by Terrence O'Brien Apr 30, 2026, 1:08 PM UTC Link Share Gift Image: Spotify Part Of All the latest in AI ‘music’ see all updates Terrence O'Brien Close Terrence O'Brien Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All by Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.

Spotify is launching a new verification program to combat spam, fakes , and AI . Some artists will now have a “Verified by Spotify” badge and a green checkmark on their profile, indicating that the company has confirmed a real person is behind the music and the profile. At least at launch, Spotify says that AI personas or profiles that primarily upload AI-generated music are not eligible for the verification program.

It did leave the door open to the possibility in the future, though, saying, “the concept of artist authenticity is complex and quickly evolving. ” Not just anyone can be verified, however. Spotify says that there must be “consistent listener activity and engagement over time,” suggesting that if you can’t cross the threshold for royalty payments, Spotify might not bother to verify your artist page.

Industry Implications

To verify acts the company isn’t asking people to send in photos of their driver’s licenses. Instead, it’s looking for activity both on and off its platform, including social media activity, merch sales, and concert dates. Spotify says that “more than 99% of artists Spotify listeners actively search for” will be verified at launch.

That includes a significant number of independent acts, not just major-label bands, and verification approvals will continue on a rolling basis. Spotify is also beta testing new artist details that it compares to nutritional labels. It puts key artist details like milestones, album releases, and touring activity into an easy-to-digest format .

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.