SRC — Spotify
Folder: 05 - SOURCE MATERIAL Supporting: Spotify
Patents — Primary Sources
Voice and Emotion Analysis Patent US10,891,948 B2 Title: “Identification of taste attributes from an audio signal” Filed: February 2018 Granted: January 12, 2021 Assignee: Spotify AB USPTO: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10891948B2
Emotional Responsiveness Patent US11621001B2 Title: “Systems and methods for enhancing responsiveness to utterances having detectable emotion” Assignee: Spotify AB USPTO patent database
Personality Tracking Patent Published: October 2020 Describes: mood, genre, demographic variables corresponding to Big Five personality traits Music Business Worldwide coverage: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-has-a-patent-for-personality-tracking-technology-and-its-pretty-creepy/
Full Patent Portfolio Overview 1,100+ patents globally GreyB Insights — Spotify Patents: https://insights.greyb.com/spotify-patents/
Key Analysis and Reporting
Music Business Worldwide — Voice Patent Coverage (January 2021) https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotifys-latest-invention-will-determine-your-emotional-state-from-your-speech-and-suggest-music-based-on-it/ Technical breakdown of emotion detection methodology in patent.
Liz Pelly — “Big Mood Machine” The Baffler, 2019 Original investigation into Spotify’s mood data for advertising purposes. Quote: “It’s good for business for Spotify to manipulate people’s emotions on the platform toward feelings of chillness, contentment, and happiness.”
Stop Spotify Surveillance Campaign Fight for the Future / Union of Musicians and Allied Workers: https://www.stopspotifysurveillance.org/ Documents civil society response to voice surveillance patent. Includes letter from Access Now to Spotify re: security risks.
Spotify Data Strategy Analysis (2024) Diggit Magazine analysis referenced in: https://www.ainvest.com/news/spotify-data-strategy-balancing-privacy-monetization-2025-2510/ Notes: tracking of song skips, locations, voice inputs confirmed. EU regulatory concern documented.
TechRadar — Spotify Wrapped Privacy Analysis (December 2024) https://www.techradar.com/computing/cyber-security/spotify-wrapped-is-a-privacy-pitfall-but-we-continue-loving-it-regardless Documents Wrapped as output of twelve-month surveillance campaign.
Patent Trajectory Analysis CopperPod IP — August 2025: https://www.copperpodip.com/post/from-passive-playlists-to-predictive-soundscapes-inside-spotify-s-patent-powered-future Full analysis of patent trajectory from streaming delivery (2007–2010) to emotion detection and mood management (2016–present).
Still To Source
- Confirmation that voice emotion patent is actively deployed vs still in development — Spotify has not confirmed active deployment investigate
- Direct documentation of mood data being sold to specific advertisers — confirmed in principle through patent and policy language, specific contracts not public #investigate
- Independent technical audit of what Spotify app actually transmits vs what privacy policy states investigate