Sweden disqualifies partly AI-generated folk-pop song from official charts despite Spotify success
As humans use AI as a tool in the creative process, Sweden’s chart decision raises fresh questions about transparency around AI music.
A partly AI-generated folk-pop song has been ruled ineligible for Sweden’s official chart. Despite amassing millions of worldwide streams and topping Spotify’s domestic rankings in Sweden, it was barred from the chart after IFPI Sweden learned that elements of the track were partly AI-made.
The track in the spotlight
The song at the center of the controversy is “I Know, You’re Not Mine” (“Jag Vet, Du Är Inte Min”) by Jacub. It sounds like a classic acoustic folk-pop song, with Jacub’s artist profile page showing a sketched illustration of a bearded, t-shirt wearing man.
The track has racked up more than 6 million streams on Spotify globally, including more than 200,000 plays in Sweden alone. It even topped Spotify’s domestic charts. Yet now, it won’t appear on Sweden’s official chart, Sverigetopplistan.
The chart is compiled by IFPI Sweden, and under its current rules, Jacob’s track doesn’t make the cut.
As an IFPI Sweden spokesperson told The Guardian:
“While the song appears on Spotify’s own charts, it does not qualify for inclusion on the official chart under the current rules.”
Why Sweden disqualified the song
The decision followed an investigation by investigative journalist Emanuel Karlsten, who revealed that the track was partly AI-generated. The song is registered to Danish music publisher Stella, where two of the credited rights holders work within the company’s AI department.
Karlsten described the release as an “experiment” that tests the limits of how audiences respond to artificial artists and AI-assisted music. It was that discovery that pushed IFPI Sweden to act:
“Our rule is that if it is a song that is mainly AI-generated, it does not have the right to be on the top list.”
Ludvig Werber, IFPI Sweden’s chief executive
Stellar pushes back
Stellar has strongly defended the track and its creative process. While the company confirmed that generative AI was used across both “Jacub’s voice and parts of the music,” Stellar stressed that humans were very much in the driving seat. It insists that it’s a music company run by creative professionals “first and foremost”.
According to Stellar, the song was not just generated from a simple prompt. Instead, it claims the track required significant “time, energy, and dedication” which was guided by humans.
“We are passionate and experienced music professionals who have invested large amounts of time, energy and dedication in the songwriting and production of this release, and the creation has been a process that has been guided by clear artistic vision.”
Stellar
The company also made a point of distancing itself from what many in the industry now refer to as ‘AI slop’. In fact, Stellar is against this kind of mass-produced, low-quality AI content that has been flooding platforms in recent times.
The bigger picture: AI music, charts, and transparency
AI music isn’t going anywhere, and in 2026 the industry is still figuring out how to deal with AI. That’s particularly the case for AI-assisted tracks and how they should be labeled, regulated, or ranked.
Some platforms are taking a hard stance. Direct-to-fan music platform, Bandcamp, recently confirmed it won’t allow any AI-generated music on its platform. Now, Sweden’s official charts are drawing their own line too.
For many though, the real issue lies around transparency. Would these tracks be as popular if listeners knew it was AI music? Composer and copyright campaigner, Ed Newton-Rex argues not, and that Jacub’s success only reinforces the need for mandatory AI labeling on streaming platforms.
“If Spotify told users when they were listening to AI music this wouldn’t have made it so high in the charts, taking streams and royalties away from human musicians. Governments must require that AI-generated works be prominently labelled as a matter of urgency.”
Ed Newton-Rex
That sentiment seems to be shared by listeners as well. A recent Deezer survey found that 80% of respondents want fully AI-generated music to be clearly labeled. Currently, Deezer remains the only major streaming platform with an AI detection tool that tags and labels tracks it identifies as 100% AI-generated.
While Spotify doesn’t have a similar tool at present, the platform has backed a new industry standard for disclosing AI use in music creation. The initiative is currently being developed by DDEX, a tech and music industry-backed nonprofit.
What this means for the industry
Sweden’s decision isn’t in isolation, it’s a sign of something bigger. As AI-assisted tracks continue to rack up streams, the industry will need clearer definitions, clearer labels, and clearer rules.
For artists, labels, and platforms, the conversation around AI transparency is one that keeps going on.
Distribute your music onto streaming platforms for free with RouteNote today!