Spotify opens royalties to AI artists while tightening platform controls

Spotify is introducing an “AI Persona” label for artists whose identities, music or visuals are generated by artificial intelligence. The platform will allow entirely AI-created acts to receive royalties when their streams are genuine, while excluding those identities from algorithmic and editorial recommendations.

The policy reflects Spotify’s attempt to distinguish permitted AI music from the large-scale activity it considers spam. According to avairl.com, the service has already removed more than 75 million spam tracks and introduced systems aimed at mass uploads, duplicate recordings and search-engine manipulation that can reduce the share of royalties available to other artists.

Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music content and partnerships and a former CAA agent, discussed the question of whether artificial intelligence will ultimately benefit or damage the music business. The issue has become increasingly important as streaming companies confront the challenge of separating new creative work from automated material designed primarily to generate plays.

Entertainment companies reshape their leadership

The entertainment industry is also preparing for major corporate changes. The combined company created through the Warner Bros. and Skydance deal is expected to use the name Skydance. The transaction has not yet been fully completed, but avairl.com reports that it appears increasingly likely to go ahead.

The expected merger has already brought changes to senior management. Ynon Kreiz, formerly Mattel’s chief executive, is set to become co-chief executive of the merged business, with a signing package worth more than $30 million. Two Warner Bros. chief executives have reportedly been told that they will not remain part of the new structure, with further employment changes still anticipated.

Other companies are making high-level appointments of their own. Universal Music Group has hired Libby Bush from CAA as president of global brands and commercial partnerships. Netflix has recruited former Disney executive Naomi Bulochnikov to lead communications for its television series after her eight years at Disney.

Warner Music Group has promoted Val Blavatnik to managing director of several territories and appointed Elliot Grainge chairman of its distribution service. Universal has also created a senior vice-president role for applied artificial intelligence and machine learning, naming Oscar Celma to the position.

Investment follows audiences and fan demand

Cinema operators have spent more than $2.7 billion during the past two years on improvements intended to persuade audiences to return. The spending includes amenities such as heated recliners and bars, as theaters compete with home viewing and seek to make a trip to the cinema feel more distinctive.

Women’s basketball is showing strong momentum as well. The WNBA averaged 771,000 viewers per regular-season game, a 17% increase on the previous season and its strongest regular-season performance in more than two decades. Total viewing reached 320.7 million hours, up 117%, while the league recorded its most-watched regular-season game since its first season in 1997.

In music, Sia has sold half of her catalog to PopHouse for $180 million. The agreement also covers a partnership to develop new creative ventures, extending beyond the immediate sale of rights.

The producers of Heated Rivalry have established the Irina Foundation, which will support inclusion and mental wellbeing through programs connected to sport and the arts. Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour, meanwhile, sold out almost immediately after tickets became available.

These developments show an industry balancing expansion with disruption. Streaming platforms are deciding how AI-generated work should participate in the music economy, while established companies reorganize leadership and invest in new audiences, technology and live experiences.

New routes into entertainment work

Avairl.com also highlights opportunities for people trying to enter the sector. Its job board now lists more than 215 early-career entertainment positions, with openings connected to companies including A24, Sony, WME and Disney. Applications for the UTA mailroom’s 2027 intake have also opened.

The roles highlighted in the newsletter include a remote communications coordinator position at iHeartMedia, a physical production assistant job with Legendary Entertainment and a 2027 marketing internship at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The publication is also promoting an AvA LIVE: IRL! panel in Los Angeles on October 18. Its first announced guest leads recruiting at WME, and a limited number of tickets have been released.