Spotify has updated its policies to strengthen protections against what it calls the “worst” use cases of AI-generated music on the platform. The announcement comes after months of criticism of the streaming service, due to its lack of policies specifically targeting AI music and the growing prevalence of AI artists on the site, including viral AI act The Velvet Sundown.

This doesn’t mean the streaming service is taking a hardline stance against all AI music. As Spotify’s Head of Music, Charlie Hellman, said in a press briefing: “I want to be clear about one thing. We’re not here to punish artists for using AI authentically and responsibly. We hope that artists’ use of AI production tools will enable them to be more creative than ever, create more content that excites fans and offer the best possible experience on Spotify. But we are here to stop the bad actors who are gaming the system, and we can only benefit from [the] good side of AI if we aggressively protect against the downside.”

Already, Spotify revealed it has been quietly trying to mitigate the “downside” of AI. In the last year, Spotify stated it had already removed over “75 million spammy tracks” from the site, which violated Spotify guidelines. Some, but not all, of these tracks are believed to be AI-generated.

Spotify’s announcement on Thursday (Sept. 25) is largely an update to its pre-existing rules. Already, the company has targeted negative uses of AI music by cracking down on impersonation, artificial streaming and spam content. Those are still the primary ways that the service is policing what it calls “the worst parts of Gen AI,” but now those rules carry new strength. Below is a breakdown of Spotify’s three new updates:

Music Spam Filter

Its music spam filter has been updated so that when a user is flagged for using common hacks like mass uploads, duplicates, SEO hacks, artificially short tracks and “other forms of slop,” as the company’s press release put it, the tracks and their uploaders will be flagged and the content will no longer be recommended to users. A company spokesperson says this new filter will be rolled out slowly and with caution “to ensure we’re not penalizing the wrong uploaders.”

Just as before, this filter is not specific to AI-generated songs — it targets all forms of spam, whether human-made or AI-generated — but given AI models are able to quickly create new songs in seconds, AI is often used as a way of perpetuating mass uploads on streaming platforms. To experts, spam is seen as detrimental because it is often used to spread out fraudulent or artificial streaming activity over a large number of tracks with the goal of siphoning money away from the royalty pools intended for real artists.

One example of this scheme came to light last September, when federal prosecutors indicted a North Carolina musician for allegedly using AI to create “hundreds of thousands” of songs and then using the AI tracks to earn more than $10 million in fraudulent streaming royalties.

Stronger Impersonation Rules

The company has always had a policy barring deceptive content and deepfakes, but now Spotify’s new impersonation policy has been updated to clarify how it handles claims about AI voice clones (and other forms of unauthorized vocal impersonation).

Spotify is also addressing its “content mismatch” problem with new protections. Content mismatch occurs when an unauthorized individual uploads a song to a different artist’s Spotify page without permission in the hopes that it boosts streams for the song. In recent months, the issue has been brought to wider attention by Paul Bender of the band Haitus Kaiyote, who experienced content mismatch with his side project The Sweet Enoughs and took to social media to call out Spotify for it.

Now, Spotify announced that it will be “investing more resources” into the issue “reducing the wait time for review, and enabling artists to report ‘mismatch’ even in the pre-release state.”

Standardized AI Disclosures

The newest addition to Spotify’s AI-related policies is a new integration with DDEX (Digital Data Exchange), which sets global standards for musical metadata, which will allow those uploading music to Spotify to label when and how AI was used in their creative process. So, if a track was written almost entirely by one person, but one specific instrument in the track was generated with AI, the person can then self-report that to Spotify and have that be displayed in its credits on Spotify — or any other participating service — using the DDEX standard. This also works for songwriting, production, vocal, mixing or mastering credits.

“We know the use of AI is going to be a spectrum, with artists and producers incorporating AI in various parts of their creative workflow,” says Sam Duboff, Global Head of Marketing and Policy, Spotify for Artists. “And this industry standard will allow for more accurate, nuanced disclosures. It won’t force tracks into a false binary where a song either has to be categorically AI or not AI at all. Why does this matter? Listeners get clarity, and artists get a consistent way to share their process with listeners across all services without fear that it’ll affect how their work’s promoted. This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about building trust across the whole music ecosystem.”

To date, much of the discussion about generative AI on streaming services has focused on the binary of either fully AI-generated content or human-made content. Deezer, the most vocal of the services about AI music so far, has used its proprietary AI detection tools to find fully AI-generated songs, tag them as such and remove them from algorithms and editorial playlists. SoundCloud prohibits the monetization of songs that are “exclusively generated through AI.” Both platforms do not track or penalize partially AI-driven songs.

To date, this new DDEX AI self-disclosure system has been adopted by Amuse, AudioSalad, Believe, CD Baby, DistroKid, Downtown Artist & Label Services, EMPIRE, Encoding Management Service – EMS GmbH, FUGA, IDOL, Kontor New Media, Labelcamp, NueMeta, Revelator, SonoSuite, Soundrop and Supply Chain.

While the major music companies — including Universal Music Group — have not yet signed on to the new DDEX protocol, a spokesperson for UMG shared their support for Spotify’s updated policies: “We welcome Spotify’s new AI protections as important steps forward consistent with our longstanding Artist Centric principles. We believe AI presents enormous opportunities for both artists and fans, which is why platforms, distributors and aggregators must adopt measures to protect the health of the music ecosystem in order for these opportunities to flourish. These measures include content filtering; checks for infringement across streaming and social platforms; penalty systems for repeat infringers; chain-of-custody certification and name-and-likeness verification. The adoption of these measures would enable artists to reach more fans, have more economic and creative opportunities, and dramatically diminish the sea of noise and irrelevant content that threatens to drown out artists’ voices.”

According to Spotify’s Hellman: “This won’t be the end of the story. AI is evolving fast, but today’s announcements will be a meaningful step forward.”

Camilo is returning next year to stages in the United States and Puerto Rico, Billboard exclusively announces today (Sept. 25).

Produced by Loud And Live, the six-date trek will kick off on April 11, 2026 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, and make stops in cities including Miami, Chicago, and New York before wrapping up April 26 in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Tickets for his Tour USA Y Puerto Rico 2026 go on sale next Monday, Sept. 29, at 10:00 a.m. ET on the Colombian star’s official website, with an exclusive Spotify presale starting Friday (Sept. 26).

“Camilo is one of the most dynamic artists of his generation, and we are proud to once again partner with him to share his extraordinary creativity and music with fans around the world,” Nelson Albareda, CEO of Loud And Live, said in a statement.

With No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts like “Tattoo,” “Millones,” and “Vida de Rico,” Camilo recently completed a summer tour in Spain, where he performed in 16 cities. That run included a special appearance at Latin Grammy Celebra: La Música de Andalucía, a Latin Recording Academy event honoring the rhythms and musical icons of southern Spain.

The announcement of his forthcoming tour comes a week after the six-time Latin Grammy winner received his 33rd nomination, this time for his collaboration with Argentine singer-songwriter Yami Safdie on “Querida Yo,” in the best pop song category. The awards ceremony will be presented Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.

The last time Camilo toured Puerto Rico and the U.S. was in 2024 with his Nuestro Lugar Feliz Tour. Check out his announced dates for 2026 below.

Electronic dance music reigns at the 2025 ARIA Awards, to be presented Nov. 19 in Sydney, as Ninajirachi and Dom Dolla dominate the nominations.

With a record eight nominations, Ninajirachi leads the way. Dom Dolla is close behind with seven.

Ninajirachi, the 26-year-old songwriter, producer, DJ and artist (real name: Nina Wilson) collects an album of the year nod for her debut I Love My Computer (via NLV Records), and is shortlisted for best solo artist, the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist, best independent release, best dance/electronic release and more.

“Thank u so much to my friends and fans who are doing it with me and have been around for a really long time,” she says in a message, following the announcement early Thursday of the ARIAs nominations. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me lol.”

When Ninajirachi dropped her album in August, the rising EDM star was named Billboard Dance “Rookie of the Month”. “Much like its maker,” Billboard wrote at the time, “the 12-track project is smart, stylish and ebullient, with a bit of edge and a lot of observations on living and loving in our computer world.”

NLV Records is the label founded by DJ Nina Las Vegas, and which this year celebrates its 10^th anniversary. “I’ve always believed in Ninajirachi, and I’m so grateful to be part of this journey with her,” she comments. “For me, it was never a question of if, but when. Championing forward-thinking music has always been my mission, just as working alongside powerful women and incredible musicians has been. Nina is all of that and more, and she truly deserves this history-making moment.”

Ninajirachi has performed at Lollapalooza, EDC, Laneway Festival, and earlier this month kicked off her biggest headline run of the U.S.

Meanwhile, Dom Dolla continues his smoking-hot form with seven ARIA nominations, including best solo artist and best dance/electronic release, a category he has won the previous two years. His ARIAs haul comes after Dom (real name: Dominic Matheson) sold out multiple headline shows at Madison Square Garden, completed residencies in Ibiza and Las Vegas, played several of the biggest festivals in the world (again), and contributed to the soundtrack for F1: The Movie. He’ll finish the year setting another benchmark, by playing Sydney’s Accor Stadium, becoming the first homegrown DJ to do so.

Also setting the music world on fire this year is Amyl and The Sniffers, who are hot on the trail with six nominations, including chances for best group and album of the year, for their third studio effort, Cartoon Darkness.

Enjoying multiple nomination are Hilltop Hoods and Thelma Plum (five each); plus Folk Bitch Trio, Missy Higgins, Royel Otis and RÜFÜS DU SOL (four each).

Presented once again at the Hordern Pavilion, the ARIA Awards “are always a celebration of the moments that have defined Australian music over the past year, and 2025 has been extraordinary,” comments ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd. “This year’s nominees are living proof that Australian artists are shaping the global cultural narrative in real time. There’s no longer a singular image of what success looks like for an artist, and the stories set to be celebrated in November are absolute proof of that.”

On the night, winners will be celebrated across 29 categories, including the 2025 ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, You Am I.

In a first, this year’s event will recognize the festivals that create breakthrough moments for local artists. The inaugural nominees for best music festival include Ability Fest, Beyond The Valley, Bluesfest Byron Bay, Laneway Festival, and Yours and Owls Festival.

Also new to the record industry’s flagship night, ARIA’s four publicly-voted categories will be integrated into Spotify, enabling fans to cast daily votes for their fave acts within the app. Public voting opens today on Spotify and the ARIA website for those categories of best Australian live act, song of the year, best video, and most popular international artist, closing Nov. 10.

The 39th ARIA Awards is supported by Destination NSW, and through a multi-year partnership with Spotify.

The event will air live on Paramount+ and broadcast on the free-to-air 10 network.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Priscilla Presley was with Elvis Presley for around 14 years before they split; however, the pair had known each other for years before they wed in 1967.

The time in between and following Priscilla and Elvis’ divorce was a tough spot for Priscilla, and one she wasn’t super open about — that is, until now. In her new memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, the actress shares the difficult but inspiring journey beyond the walls of Graceland post-split with the King, choosing to put herself and her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, first.

A hardcover version of the book is now on sale and can be purchased now on Amazon for $22.38, while paperback will run you $32. A Kindle version retails for $15.99. If you’re a superfan of Priscilla and the Presley family, you can also snag a signed version of the memoir via Barnes & Noble for $32. The piece makes a great gift for the avid Elvis collector in your life. If you’d rather listen to the memoir, we won’t judge, you can do so with Audible via a subscription which costs $7.95 a month, a price tag less than a physical copy.

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis

Buy Now on amazon $22.38 $22.38

Buy Now at Barnes & noble $32 $32

Buy Now on audible $7.95 a month $7.95 a month

A new memoir by Priscilla Presley.

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If you didn’t know, Priscilla met Elvis when she was just 14 and he was 24. The singer was serving in the U.S. Army in 1959 in Germany. The pair remained romantically connected for years, even with distance between them and in 1967, they were wed in a simple and very secret ceremony in Las Vegas. While their separation in 1973 was painful for Priscilla, this novel highlights why it was so important for the Naked Gun star to leave.

It seems that Priscilla lost touch with herself throughout her relationship with Elvis. Leaving allowed her to find herself again. Through the book, we are treated to snippets of Priscilla’s life pre- and post-Elvis and how she had to reinvent herself a second time as the single mother after the performer’s death in 1977.

Today, we are taken through how Priscilla was able to transform Graceland into an international destination and helped guide the development of Elvis Presley Enterprises, turning the King’s legacy into a full-on business. If you are an Elvis fan, this gives readers a unique perspective on his life, as told by his ex-wife. It also gives Priscilla’s story more context for those who aren’t too familiar with her life and career.