Tidal Cuts Royalties for AI-Generated Music But Stops Short of Ban
Tidal rolls out a new policy today that demonetizes music identified as 100 percent AI-generated. The streaming service makes it clear that its priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people. Rather than banning AI music outright, the platform takes a firm stance that it will not knowingly attribute royalties to wholly AI-generated tracks.
Starting July 15th, Tidal plans to label fully AI-generated tracks with an icon so listeners know exactly what they are hearing. The company also signals its intention to eventually expand this labeling to uploads that are substantially AI-generated as detection tools become more reliable. Tidal does not specify exactly what methods it uses to identify AI-generated content at this stage.
Tidal emphasizes that identifying AI-generated music should not fall entirely on the streaming platform alone. The company states it will begin enforcing an expectation that content distributors properly label AI-generated music as well. This collaborative approach reflects the broader challenge the music industry faces as AI tools become increasingly accessible and sophisticated.