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An activist group has claimed to have scraped a vast number of tracks from Spotify and is getting ready to publish them publicly.

Possible Boost for AI Development

Industry experts noted the seeming data breach could aid AI companies searching for data to develop their technology.

An entity called Anna’s Archive said it had scraped 86 million audio tracks from the platform and 256 million entries of associated data such as performer and record names. The company, which carries more than 100 million tracks, stated that the breach did not constitute its entire catalog.

“We have located and deactivated the malicious user accounts that were involved in illegal scraping,” stated a Spotify spokesperson.

The Stockholm-based company, which has more than 700 million subscribers worldwide, added that an inquiry into unauthorized access identified a third party collected public metadata and used illicit tactics to circumvent DRM [digital rights management].

Archive's Declared Goal and Concerns

The streaming service does not believe the music taken by Anna’s Archive has been released yet. Anna’s Archive, which is known for offering links to pirated books, wrote in a blog it wanted to create a ‘historical repository’ for music.

They claimed the audio files represented 99.6% of all music streamed to by its listeners and would be shared via ‘peer-to-peer networks’, a means of sharing large digital files online.

“Naturally Spotify doesn’t have all the music in the world, but it’s a great start,” commented Anna’s Archive, which describes its purpose as “safeguarding humanity’s information and heritage”.

AI Training and Copyright Debate

A composer and campaigner for protecting artists’ rights, said the breached music would likely be utilized for developing AI models.

“Training on illegally sourced data is sadly widespread in the tech sector, so this stolen music is almost certain to end up instructing AI models,” he stated.

The Anna’s Archive site alludes to a large online archive, a vast online archive of pirated books that has reportedly been leveraged by the parent company of Facebook to develop its AI models.

A founder of an artificial intelligence company wrote on the professional network that individuals of the public could in theory “build their own personal free version of the service”. He said it could also allow tech companies to “educate models on modern music at a large volume”.

Copyright has emerged as a battleground between artists, authors and content creators on one side and tech giants on the other.

Government Considerations and Reactions

In the UK, creative professionals have protested against a government suggestion to let AI companies utilize copyright-protected work without permission unless the owner signals. Virtually every respondent to a government call for evidence on the proposal has supported artists’ concerns.

The secretary of state for technology, research and technology told parliament this month there was “little consensus” on the issue, adding that ministers would “use the time to get this correct”. The administration has pledged to make policy proposals on AI and copyright by March 2025.