In late 2024 and into 2025, Spotify implemented significant changes to its public Web API that affect how third-party developers can retrieve certain types of music data. These changes have had a meaningful impact on developers, researchers, students, and indie creators who relied on Spotify’s API for musical analysis, playlist tools, recommendation engines, and other applications.
This article explains what Spotify changed, why the restrictions were put in place, and how the broader developer and music tech community has responded.
Changes to Spotify’s Web API
On November 27, 2024, Spotify announced changes to the Web API that restrict access to a number of endpoints and features for new third-party applications. These restrictions apply primarily to newly created apps, while existing apps with extended access remain unaffected for now. The blocked endpoints include:
- Related Artists
- Recommendations
- Audio Features
- Audio Analysis
- Featured Playlists and category playlists
- 30-second preview URLs in bulk responses
The Audio Features and Audio Analysis endpoints are particularly notable because they provide developers with music metadata such as tempo (BPM), key, danceability, energy, and detailed structural insights into tracks. Removing access to these endpoints limits developers’ ability to programmatically retrieve this information for analysis or use in third-party apps.
Official Rationale from Spotify
According to Spotify’s developer announcement, the goal of these changes is to create a more secure platform and ensure that the API is used in ways that serve users, artists, and creators while protecting the integrity of the service. Spotify stated that it continually reviews how the API is used and makes adjustments based on evolving use cases and platform needs.
Additionally, Spotify’s developer policy explicitly prohibits the use of Spotify content and metadata to train machine learning or AI models. Developers are required to agree not to use Spotify data for machine learning training or similar purposes.
Speculation and Developer Reaction
The restrictions have sparked discussion and disagreement within the developer community. Some developers see the changes as a protective measure to prevent data scraping and limit the use of Spotify’s proprietary music data in applications that could compete with Spotify’s own AI features and recommendation engines. Music industry observers have noted that the move coincides with Spotify’s continuing rollout of AI-powered features such as AI playlist creation and AI DJ tools, suggesting that part of the motivation may be to retain control over user-experience data.
Many developers express frustration that the changes were announced without significant advance notice, and that projects built around audio analysis and metadata may no longer function as intended. Some third-party tools that offered tempo-based playlist creation, visual analysis of tracks, or independent recommendations are directly affected by these new limitations.
Impact on Music Tech, Research, and AI Use Cases
Removing access to audio analysis and audio features limits the raw music metadata available to developers. For example, tracks’ BPM and musical key information was previously accessible via the Audio Analysis endpoint and was widely used in music visualization projects, DJ tools, and educational applications. With these restrictions, developers must look to alternative sources or pre-compute this information outside of Spotify’s API.
Spotify’s official policy also states that data from its platform should not be used to train machine learning models, reflecting ongoing industry concerns about how large streaming datasets might be repurposed for AI training without proper rights or consent. This restriction aligns with broader moves across tech companies to limit the unintended use of platform data in AI applications.
Alternatives and Workarounds
With some features removed from the Spotify API, developers are exploring other options to access music metadata. Alternatives include services such as ListenBrainz, Last.fm, and third-party metadata providers that offer audio feature data, music analysis, or recommendations. These alternatives may require separate agreements or have their own limitations, but they can offer viable paths forward for projects impacted by Spotify’s changes.
Looking Ahead
Spotify’s API restrictions represent a clear shift in how the company manages access to its platform data. For developers and creators building tools around music analysis and automation, adapting to new limitations will be necessary. Some tools may need to rely on offline analysis or third-party services for features that Spotify no longer exposes.
As the music tech landscape continues to evolve, balancing innovation, data security, and fair access remains a central challenge for both platform owners and independent developers alike.
