AI “music” to be tagged and demonetized on TIDAL
Jay-Z’s streaming service has announced a policy to protect artists and listeners in the age of AI-generated music.
According to a statement made yesterday, music streaming service TIDAL has introduced a policy that will identify and demonetize all music created (fully or substantively) using artificial intelligence. AI-generated music will be tagged as such and be unable to collect any royalties or be eligible for direct-to-fan sales. Additionally, AI-generated music that aims to impersonate other (real) musicians will be removed wholesale. “We are committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers. Many have told us they do not want to be exposed to—or prompted to listen to—wholly AI-generated music,” TIDAL editor-in-chief Tony Gervino stated in the announcement. The company has articulated, however, that it expects content distributors to identify AI music before it reaches the platform in the first place.
The announcement comes as major players in the music streaming space struggle to balance a massive influx of AI-generated and -assisted music with complaints by customers and artists alike, neither of whom want the platforms flooded with fake music. Apple Music and Spotify have also taken the approach of tagging AI-generated music, with most of their efforts going to filter through spam songs. (Deezer has taken the harshest approach, removing AI songs from in-house recommendations and editorial playlists entirely.) For its part, TIDAL’s new policy comes with a strong statement on fears regarding AI music. “Regardless of what you are reading elsewhere,” Gervino wrote, “AI’s takeover of the music industry (and your recommendations) isn’t inevitable if we take even greater steps now to monitor and control it.”
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