Tidal bans royalties for AI-generated music

Tidal has announced a new AI policy that blocks fully AI-generated music from earning royalties and flags it with a visible label in the app. Tony Gervino writes for Tidal Magazine that the move is driven by an inbox “inundated with music that is created completely AI-generated and impersonating existing artists purely for financial gain.”

The policy took effect in part on June 29, when the demonetization rule kicked in. A consumer-facing “AI” badge and the removal of fraudulent tracks follow on July 15.

What the policy covers

• No royalties: Tidal will not pay out on music it identifies as 100% AI-generated. The rule also applies to its TIDAL Upload tool for independent artists, blocking such tracks from direct-to-fan sales.
• AI badge: Listeners will see an “AI” label next to wholly AI-generated tracks. Tidal says it plans to extend the tag to “substantially” AI-generated music as its detection tools improve.
• Fraud and impersonation: Tracks that impersonate artists or facilitate fraudulent activity will be removed automatically and on an ongoing basis.

Tidal is not banning AI music outright. The company says it will accept AI-generated content that meets the standards in its policy and its agreements with rightsholders and distributors. It also expects distributors to identify AI-generated content before it reaches the platform, and says it will begin enforcing that requirement.

As Murray Stassen reports for Music Business Worldwide, Tidal is joining a growing field. Deezer, which says it was the first streaming service to detect and tag AI-generated music at platform level, reported receiving close to 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks per day in April. Qobuz announced a detection system in February. Apple Music launched a tagging system in March that relies on labels and distributors to declare AI use, rather than detecting it independently. Spotify began testing AI tags in April but only where artists choose to disclose AI involvement through their distributor.

Tidal describes the policy as a living document it will update as the technology evolves.

Sources

• We’re For Real – Tidal Magazine
• TIDAL to automatically tag AI-generated music… and block it from earning royalties – Music Business Worldwide