Spotify has announced changes to its Web API that will restrict third-party developers from accessing certain features on the music streaming platform. These features, including song and artist recommendations, will no longer be available to developers creating external apps, the company stated in a blog post on Wednesday. The move is seen as an effort to curb the use of Spotify data for AI applications.
A Spotify spokesperson explained via email to TechCrunch: “As part of our ongoing work to address the security challenges that many companies navigate today, we’re making changes to our public APIs.”
The restrictions target developers who Spotify believes have misused its API, such as scraping user data. Some of the revoked features include insights into users’ listening habits, which could previously be analyzed to build AI-driven music recommendation tools. Spotify’s decision also appears aimed at protecting its own AI music models, which it has been actively developing.
In addition to song and artist recommendations, developers will lose access to Spotify’s Audio Analysis, which details a track’s structure and rhythm, as well as Audio Features, which describe attributes like a song’s "danceability," energy, and acoustic qualities. Algorithmically-curated playlists will also no longer be accessible.
This change has sparked backlash within Spotify’s developer community. While some developers used the API to create AI music tools, others relied on these features for unrelated applications. Many developers expressed frustration on Spotify’s community forum, with some speculating that the decision is driven more by Spotify’s desire to prevent AI models from replicating its systems than by security or privacy concerns
One forum user remarked, “With the advent of transformer models, there’s probably a risk of people training new models to emulate Spotify’s.” Another developer commented, “Let’s be real here, this isn’t about security or user privacy. This is about data being used for training AI models.”
Spotify has been at the forefront of integrating AI into music. CEO Daniel Ek has called AI a significant driver of creativity in the music industry. The company has launched several AI-based features, such as an AI DJ and AI playlists, which have been rolled out to users in regions like the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
While these API changes primarily impact developers with standard access rather than Spotify’s official partners, the company did not appear to provide prior notice to affected developers. However, developers who previously requested and received extended access will still be able to use the affected API features.
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