A pirate activist group has extracted and published metadata from Spotify, according to a blog post on the open-source search engine Anna's Archive, UNN reports, citing Billboard.
The report claims the extraction contains 256 million lines of track metadata and 86 million audio files, which will be distributed across P2P networks via mass torrents totaling approximately 300 terabytes. As of Sunday (December 21), the report stated that only metadata, not music files, had been published.
In a statement obtained by Billboard, a Spotify spokesperson noted: "An investigation into unauthorized access revealed that a third party extracted public metadata and used illicit tactics to bypass DRM to access some of the platform's audio files."
"We are actively investigating the incident," Spotify notes.
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Reactions to the initial Anna's Archive report, such as one circulated via a LinkedIn post by Yoav Zimmerman, CEO/co-founder of Third Chair — a startup that uses AI to create legal tools for media companies — theorized: "theoretically, anyone can now create their own free version of Spotify (all music up to 2025) with enough storage and a personal media streaming server like Plex. The only real obstacles are copyright law and fear of enforcement."
The total number of Spotify audio files exceeds the number stated by Anna's Archive. Nevertheless, Zimmerman's comment indicates that the incident could potentially overshadow the largest previously available open music archive, MusicBrainz, which contains about five million unique tracks.
Anna's Archive, which typically focuses on books and documents, stated that the project is part of its mission to "preserve human knowledge and culture," and described the Spotify "collection" as an attempt to "create a music archive primarily aimed at preservation."
The post added: "Of course, Spotify doesn't have all the music in the world, but it's a great start."