The labels will identify songs that are are AI-generated and AI-assisted
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NEED TO KNOW
- Seven music industry organizations have joined together to announce new labels that will help listeners identify whether a song has been made with the help of artificial intelligence
- The new labels will indentify “AI-generated” and “AI-assisted” songs, the organizations said in a press release
- The announcement follows Spotify’s 2025 purge of more than 75 million AI-generated tracks from its platform
The music industry is taking new steps to distinguish AI-generated music from music made by humans.
On Friday, July 10, seven different industry organizations announced a “unified approach” to labels that will help listeners more easily identify music that has been made with the help of artificial intelligence, or AI.
The organizations involved in the new initiative include the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), the Grammys, SAG-AFTRA, and the Human Artistry Campaign.
The labels will identify “AI-generated” and “AI-assisted” music, and are “designed to evolve as technology and requirements change,” according to a joint press release.
“Fans want to know whether and how generative AI has been used in the music to which they listen,” Vikki Oakley, IFPI CEO and Mitch Glazier, RIAA Chairman & CEO, said in a joint statement. “Given how important human artistry and authenticity is to music lovers all over the world, these labels will provide an immediately understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency.”
In the statement, Oakley and Glazier acknowledged the “many ways AI is being used creatively,” adding that the group expects to “offer fans additional information as adoption of generative AI labeling grows and technology evolves.”
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In April, the music streaming service Deezer reported that 44% of all new music on its platform was AI-generated, while Spotify purged some 75 million spam tracks from its platform in September.
“As AI continues to be integrated into the creative process, artists and fans alike deserve a clear way to communicate how and when it’s being used,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “This initiative ensures that creativity, authorship, and artistic intent remain at the center of every song. Giving artists the ability to tell that story strengthens trust and supports a more sustainable future for music.”
The new initiative will be implemented using two different icons. The first, which will signal AI-generated songs, will be attached to any song where most or almost all of the creative elements of the recording are artificial, like a lead vocal performance generated by AI, a key instrumental performance generated by AI, or music entirely generated by a prompt.
The second, AI-assisted, means the song was created “substantially” by humans, but with AI assistance for some expressive elements.
Other platforms have started putting similar tags into effect. In March, Apple Music introduced a set of metadata requirements called Transparency Tags. And in April, Spotify introduced a badge called Verified by Spotify, given only to authentic artists who meet specific criteria.
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