Summary
- A new system to label songs made with generative AI was introduced on Friday by several major music industry organizations, with hopes that the industry at large will embrace it.
- The second label, “AI-assisted,” applies to music that is still created substantially by humans and expresses human creativity, but includes some expressive elements generated with AI.
- At its core, the move reflects a growing effort by the music industry to keep listeners informed as AI becomes a bigger part of how songs are made, without losing sight of the human artistry that still drives the business forward.
A new system to label songs made with generative AI was introduced on Friday by several major music industry organizations, with hopes that the industry at large will embrace it.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced the voluntary labels alongside six other groups, including the Grammys.
The chief executives of IFPI and RIAA said fans want to know whether and how generative AI has been used in music. They added that the new labels offer an immediately understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency.
Two labels were unveiled. The first marks music as “AI-generated,” referring to cases for recordings where AI handled the creation of either the whole track or a major share of its core artistic elements. This includes tracks generated entirely from AI prompts, as well as lead vocals and key instrumental tracks produced using AI.
The second label, “AI-assisted,” applies to music that is still created substantially by humans and expresses human creativity, but includes some expressive elements generated with AI. However, humans must still perform the lead vocals and primary instrumental tracks for a song to qualify under this label.
The labelling system has been designed with broad, global adoption in mind, including use on streaming platforms.
Streaming service Deezer has already been tagging AI-made songs for some time now. The company recently revealed that nearly half of all new uploads on its platform are now AI-generated. In June, Deezer rolled out a tool to detect AI music, saying it works with 99.8 percent accuracy. Meanwhile, an Apple Music executive told Billboard earlier this year that over a third of new uploads on their platform were made completely by AI.
The Digital Media Association, a trade group representing streaming companies including Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify, shared that it is following the announcement closely. The group said it looks forward to receiving more detailed and accurate AI metadata to strengthen its ability to give fans the transparency they deserve.
DIMA’s CEO, Graham Davies, said in a statement that the association has long advocated for creators, owners, and distributors of music to provide accurate and timely metadata on all music released and distributed to streaming services.
Spotify launched a “Verified by Spotify” label in April, to ensure users the authenticity of an artist’s profile. Last year, the company had announced separate efforts to support AI disclosure and combat impersonation.
Spotify declined to comment on Friday. Apple Music and the Digital Media Association did not respond to requests for comment either.
At its core, the move reflects a growing effort by the music industry to keep listeners informed as AI becomes a bigger part of how songs are made, without losing sight of the human artistry that still drives the business forward.
