The Ringer’s union ratified its new contract with Spotify today, a week after agreeing on a deal and two weeks after the previous contract expired. In addition to increased pay and severance, the union fought hard for protections regarding Spotify’s use of generative AI. They pushed Spotify to require consent for cloning their voices or putting their names on AI content. But the union also gave Spotify one thing it really wants: the ability to use AI to translate The Ringer’s podcasts into other languages.
Ariel Shapiro is lead reporter of Hot Pod, a newsletter covering podcasting and the audio industry. She previously worked at Forbes, where she covered media and entertainment.
The union posted the new AI language on X, showing that Spotify must obtain consent from union employees in order to clone their voices. That is very obviously in the interest of those employees who do not want to be replaced by robot versions of themselves. As generative audio AI improves, it is likely there will be a point where a host’s voice is indistinguishable from its AI clone. That not only could result in job loss, but loss of control over your public image. The contract, for a time, keeps those scenarios at bay.
The big caveat is with AI-enabled translations. Spotify does not need permission from employees to translate their audio into other languages, using digital replicas of their own voices. As a compromise, employees can instead request a disclosure to be included in the episode indicating that the voice was generated by AI.
The union, which is part of the Writer’s Guild of America, East (which also represents the Vox Media Union that covers The Verge), previously pointed to AI as a main hurdle to reaching a deal. They claimed that they submitted language to Spotify management in December and did not get a response until February 28th, the day before the contract expired. Spotify declined to comment on the contract proceedings.
The outcome is an overall win for The Ringer’s employees, but it does show where Spotify’s priorities lie. Spotify introduced its podcast translation tool in the fall and reaction to the quality of those translations has been… mixed. But people in the industry I have spoken with say that if those translations can evolve beyond the uncanny valley, it can be a game-changer. As a global platform, Spotify has the ability to increase a podcast’s reach by making it accessible to different markets. So it makes sense that when it comes to their own podcasts, they want to protect that ability at all costs.
Previously, the union took a harder line on translations. “Spotify wants to translate podcasts into other languages (in host’s voices),” the union posted on X on March 2nd. “We believe the consent of the host must be obtained, and a disclaimer outlining the use of AI must be present. Spotify isn’t committing. Our members should control their own voices, period.” They won on disclosure but caved on consent. A representative for the union did not respond to a request for comment.
The outcome of this particular negotiation shows that AI in podcasting is not all or nothing. I think (or hope) that companies with reputations to maintain are not in the business of producing wholesale AI podcasts. But the technology is creeping in through a number of ways, from using AI for pickups to producing voiceovers for social media quotes. The Ringer contract could provide a kind of template — it draws a line when it comes to cloning employees’ voices, but leaves room for practical application.
Don Lemon had a show deal with X until he didn’t
Elon Musk, the great defender of free speech, seems to have a problem with tough interview questions. Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was fired for talking about when women peak, cut a deal to host a new show on X in January. He decided to launch the show with an interview with X’s owner, Elon Musk. It didn’t go very well, and X canceled the deal.
Lemon was part of X’s push to bring public figures onto the platform, which included Tulsi Gabbard and Jim Rome. According to Lemon, he had the full backing of X until he sat down for an interview with Musk and pressed him on topics including the rise of hate speech on the platform and his alleged ketamine use.
X responded, saying that canceling the deal was not a violation of its free speech principles. “However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show,” the company said in a post.
As other outlets back away from podcast deals, X has emerged as another option. Tucker Carlson’s show is gaining traction and the platform also experimented with hosting an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience last year. And X is pushing video at a time when podcasters are (if reluctantly) pivoting to video, as well. But the Lemon situation, while unique, could make other personalities wary of doing business with Musk.
