Spotify and Universal Music Group announce deal over AI remixes
NEWSLETTER
27 May 2026
Welcome to another edition of Mediavision’s newsletter. Here are the main topics this week:
- – 80 percent of new Nordic streaming subscriptions are ad-supported
- – Spotify & Universal Music Group announce deal over AI remixes
- – Global players account for half of all video viewing in Denmark
STREAMING
80 percent of new Nordic streaming subscriptions are ad-supported
The Nordic market now exceeds 27 million paid streaming subscriptions, up by approximately 3.5 million compared to spring 2025. The vast majority of this growth comes from hybrid subscription models (HVOD), combining lower prices with advertising.
All Nordic countries recorded strong growth in HVOD adoption during spring 2026. Sweden saw the sharpest increase, with household penetration rising by more than 50 percent year-on-year. Sweden has now surpassed both Denmark and Norway in HVOD penetration for the first time, largely driven by Amazon Prime Video introducing advertisement at the end of last year. Meanwhile, Finland lags the rest of the Nordic region, despite annual growth of nearly 40 percent.
Read up on the full press release here with commentary from Mediavision’s Principal Analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist.
MUSIC
Spotify & Universal Music Group announce deal over AI remixes
Last Thursday, Spotify announced a new partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG) which allows fans to use generative AI technology to create covers and remixes of songs. The tool will launch as a paid add-on available to Spotify’s Premium subscribers only. The new add-on offers a revenue share with participating artists for the AI-generated music based on their work.
The company did not share pricing or a launch date for the new tool, only that the two companies had come to a licensing agreement. Spotify teased its plans last year, noting that it was working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop so-called “artist-first” AI products. Spotify states that artists and rightsholders should be able to choose if and how they participate in the AI tools, and if they do, they should be compensated.
“Solving hard problems for music is what Spotify does, and fan-made covers and remixes are next. What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part. Through each technological transformation, we have worked together with Sir Lucian and his team to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters,” said Alex Norström, Co-CEO, Spotify.
AI music creation services like Suno and Udio have been pioneers in the AI music space. However, they emerged on an uncertain legal ground when building their AI tools. Consequently, the major labels quickly sued the companies. In November, Suno ended up settling a USD 500 million lawsuit with Warner Music Group, which came shortly after Universal Music Group (UMG) had settled its own suit with Udio.
Spotify’s new AI deal with UMG was shared on the company’s Investor Day last week, which also included an AI-powered audiobook creation tool and an AI-powered features for podcasters, among other news.
STREAMING
Global players account for half of all video viewing in Denmark
Competition on the Danish video market is increasing. This spring, global players account for 50 percent of all video viewing in Denmark, including streaming services, social video platforms and TV channels. The increase is primarily driven by growing viewing on social video platforms. These findings are presented in Mediavision’s latest Nordic TV & Streaming analysis.
Read up on the full press release here with commentary from Mediavision’s Principal Analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist.
Mediavision in the News
Ad tiers drive Nordic streaming growth – Broadband TV News
Skiftet: Fyra av fem nya streamingabonnemang är nu reklamfinansierade – Dagens Media
Finnish online video viewing undershoots nordic norms but social platforms provide boost – Telecompaper
”Svensk ljudboksmarknad går mot en tudelning” – Svensk Bokhandel
Spotify bidrar marginellt till ljudbokslyssnande – Dagens industri
Mediavision: Limited impact from Spotify on audiobook listening in Sweden – Podnews
Sweden: 11m SVoD subs, but high churn – Advanced Television
Sweden passes 11 million paid streaming subscriptions amid heavy churn – Broadband TV News
Debat: Social videos vækst ændrer spillepladen – Mediawatch