Spotify wants you to pay $5 more to remix your favorite songs with AI

The streaming giant is racing to sign labels and win over wary artists before a Q1 2027 launch. A new paid add-on would let fans turn a folk song into a dance track or make one star cover another.

• Spotify is targeting a first quarter 2027 launch, possibly unveiled around the Grammy Awards in February.
• Subscribers may pay an extra $4 to $5 a month.
• Artists can opt out, even if their label signs a deal.
• Analyst Ian Moore estimates 7% to 8% of US subscribers could sign up by the end of 2028.

Spotify is aiming to launch an AI-powered remix and cover service in early 2027, the Financial Times reported on October 30. Paying subscribers could create their own versions of popular songs for an extra $4 to $5 a month. The company is still negotiating licenses with Sony Music and Warner Music while trying to persuade reluctant artists to take part.

What Spotify is building

The tool would let listeners use AI to reshape existing songs. A folk track could become a dance anthem, or one artist could appear to cover another’s music.

This differs from generators like Suno, which build brand new songs from text prompts. Spotify’s version works only with songs by artists who agree to join. Royalties from fan-made remixes would flow back to the original artists, and remixes could appear in playlists with plays counting toward the original songs in the charts.

Timing and pricing are not final, according to the people familiar with the plans.

The artist problem

Spotify has licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Merlin and Believe. Talks with Sony and Warner continue.

Even a signed label deal does not guarantee participation, because artists can choose for themselves. Winning over today’s biggest stars has proved harder than recruiting established older acts. Olivia Rodrigo, who is signed to Universal, told the Hollywood Reporter she would “never” use AI in her music.

Co-CEO Gustav Söderström has pitched the idea to veteran artists. His argument is that fan remixes enlarge an artist’s share of the streaming revenue pool, a new way for catalog songs from the ’80s and ’90s to earn more.

The money behind the move

Spotify has told investors to expect mid-teens annual revenue growth through 2030. That seems to be an elevated speculation for a mature subscription business, so paid add-ons look attractive.

The shift also reflects a bigger change. The music industry sued AI startups such as Suno and Udio in 2024, but major labels have since moved toward licensing deals instead. Spotify’s product is a test of whether that bargain can pay off.

An add-on appeals only to a specific segment of users, and Bernstein’s estimate shows that clearly. Still, a small segment of a very large base can add up fast.

What happens next

The big question is whether fans will pay extra to play with songs they already love, and whether top artists will let them. If stars stay away, the catalog could feel thin. If it works, every streaming rival will chase the same idea.

Would you pay $5 a month to make your favorite singer cover any song you want? Tell us in the comments.