Spotify introduced a "Verified by Spotify" badge on April 30, marking artist profiles that meet authenticity criteria including consistent listener engagement, off-platform presence (tour dates, merch, linked social accounts), and compliance with platform policies — AI-generated or AI-persona artists are ineligible. The rollout covers more than 99% of actively searched artists, predominantly independent creators, appearing gradually over coming weeks alongside a new career-milestones profile section and an Artist Profile Protection beta. The move comes as Spotify explicitly cites the AI era as motivation, following competitor Deezer's disclosure that AI-generated tracks now represent 44% of all new daily music uploads to its platform.