A recent study conducted by digital rights tech firm Pex has brought attention to an alarming phenomenon—over one million “manipulated” tracks on popular streaming services diverting revenue away from the original creators.
As of November 2023, Pex identified more than a million instances of what they term “modified audio tracks.” These tracks, which have undergone alterations like speeding up or slowing down, are then uploaded as new recordings on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL.
Notable examples include a sped-up version of Halsey’s “Without Me,” amassing nearly 6 million streams on Spotify, and a modified rendition of “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, boasting over 12 million plays on the platform.
The critical issue, according to Pex, is that a significant portion of these modified songs lacks the necessary licensing for the original tracks, yet they are earning royalties from Digital Service Provider (DSP) streams. This practice could potentially siphon off millions from the rightful copyright owners.
Pex CEO Rasty Turek, in a conversation with Music Business World, highlighted the widespread nature of this problem, stating, “From our research, at least 1% of all music has some kind of modified audio, and the existing systems are not catching that up.” This implies that a minimum of 1% of all music is misattributed and misappropriated, leading to artists being inadequately compensated for their work.
Turek acknowledged the legitimate appeal of certain music modifications, such as Nightcore mixes, but stressed the importance of proper attribution. He emphasized that the responsibility for ensuring accurate attribution lies more with the platforms and services than with individual artists.
Meanwhile, in response to these challenges, Spotify has recently announced significant changes to its royalty payout model. The aim is to counteract “drains on the royalty pool” and channel more funds toward working artists.
