TIDAL cuts royalties for AI-generated music while labeling tracks with new AI badge system

TIDAL cracks down on AI music by cutting off monetization

Music streaming service TIDAL is the latest to take aim at AI-generated music with the introduction of a new policy that will prevent fully AI-generated music from making money on its platform. In addition, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group, the company said. "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," wrote Tony Gervino, TIDAL EVP and Editor-in-Chief, in an announcement. He clarified that TIDAL's new policy was not meant to "bash technological advancement," but rather focuses on protecting and rewarding "organic creativity" from artists. With the changes, fully AI-generated music on TIDAL will be identified and tagged as such, allowing listeners to see an "AI" badge next to any tracks deemed to be 100% AI. These tunes will not be able to be monetized, collect royalties, and will not be eligible for direct-to-fan sales, the company noted. TIDAL's policy joins others in the streaming music space, where services like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Qobuz have developed their own policies to address the growing number of AI-generated tracks filling their services. Spotify last year revamped its policies to label AI music and better filter spam, while still acknowledging that AI tools would be put to use in the music creation process to varying degrees. Apple Music also took the tagging approach. Deezer, which said that 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform daily is AI-generated, has taken a tougher position. It actively removes AI tracks from recommendations and excludes them from editorial playlists. It also offers its AI detection technology to rivals and provides a consumer-facing tool that lets you see if AI music has slipped into your own playlists on competing services. TIDAL's policy could be an interesting test to see if demonetization could be the thing to slow the deluge of AI music, which many listeners aren't interested in. "Regardless of what you are reading elsewhere, 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," noted Gervino. The company said the new policy is a "living document," meaning it's open to changes as the space evolves. It goes into effect on July 15, 2026.

Tidal to Label AI-Generated Music and Remove Fraudulent Material

Music streaming service Tidal says it will start labeling music that's wholly generated by artificial intelligence and will also remove tracks that are fraudulent or deceptive. The company will implement automated tools in mid-July to identify and tag such music. Listeners will start to see an "AI" icon next to music that it detects as 100% AI-generated. For now, the icon applies only to songs that are fully AI-generated, though some tracks may use AI for certain elements rather than the entire composition. The company said it will "expand these policies to music that is substantially AI-generated when AI detection technology is sufficiently reliable to do so." Tidal will also remove royalties for AI-generated music. Monetization will only be available to original music "that is directly produced, written and performed by people." Forbes reported that the AI-generated music market could be worth $4 billion by 2028. The company is also taking a firm position on blocking or removing AI-generated music associated with fraudulent activity. According to the new AI policy, "fraudulent activity includes (but is not necessarily limited to) AI-generated music that aims to deceive listeners, interfere with authentic artists and their audience, or involves high-volume uploads or unusual streaming activity." AI policies have become necessary for music streaming services for two main reasons: AI music tools such as Suno have made it easy to generate full songs with little or no musical training, and streaming services like Tidal also allow customers to upload their own music. While the announcement was focused on users, artists can dispute an AI designation according to Tidal's published terms and conditions. "Any creator who believes their work has been incorrectly flagged can contact our Support team, and we'll work with them promptly," a Tidal representative told CNET. As streaming platforms face the rapid rise of AI-generated music, several major services have begun rolling out their own detection and enforcement tools. The industry's response has largely focused on labeling synthetic content and limiting abuse of automated uploads. Some Tidal competitors, such as Deezer, have released AI detection tools. Spotify also tightened its AI policies in September last year. Its approach is broadly similar to Tidal's and includes a "spam filter" tool, though the company also encourages artists to report AI-generated fakes directly.

Tidal won't pay royalties on AI-generated music but isn't banning it outright

Tidal shared its new policies regarding AI-generated music today and how the platform plans to "protect artists" and "inform listeners." Instead of banning it outright, starting on July 15th Tidal will label tracks it has identified as being 100 percent AI-generated with an icon. But starting today those tracks will no longer be monetizable. "Tidal's priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people. We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated," the company's announcement reads. The platform didn't specify what tools it's using to identify AI-generated music, but the new policy says that as tools improve and become more reliable it eventually plans to also add the label to any uploads that are "substantially AI-generated." In addition to its own detection tools, Tidal warns that identifying AI-generated music should not be its responsibility alone and that the platform will "begin to enforce" an expectation that content distributors properly label AI-generated music as well. In an effort to deter the use of any AI generative tool that "exploits an individual's or group's music, name or likeness, deceives listeners, or diminishes the quality of our service," starting in mid-July Tidal will also remove or block "AI-generated music associated with fraudulent activity." Those activities can include music designed to deceive listeners or interfere with authentic artists, high-volume uploads, or "unusual streaming activity." Tidal's competitors have previously addressed the influx of AI-generated music with tools and policies of their own. In April, Spotify launched a new verification program where some artists the company has confirmed as being a real person received a green checkmark and a "Verified by Spotify" badge on their profiles, while profiles that primarily upload AI-generated content are not eligible for the distinction. Deezer also developed tools for detecting fully AI-generated music when it's uploaded in order to reduce its visibility on that platform, and last month it created a website you can use to scan your playlists on other streaming platforms to detect AI-generated tracks.

Tidal isn't banning AI music, but it won't pay people who upload it - Engadget

The streaming service's new policy says that 100-percent AI-generated music will be demonetized. Tidal revealed its sweeping policy on AI-generated music that details exactly how the music streaming service will handle this growing phenomenon. The music-streaming platform explained on its website that it would demonetize any music that's identified as 100 percent AI-generated. Tidal is still allowing tracks made with AI on its platform, but will slap a tag on anything that's 100 percent AI-generated so its users are aware. "Tidal's priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people," the policy read. "We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated." In the future, Tidal said that it would attach the AI-generated tag to anything that's "substantially AI-generated" once AI detection tools get better. For now, Tidal said that it would hold AI content on its platform to "a higher standard of content integrity." More specifically, Tidal said that any AI-generated music that "exploits an individual's or group's music, name or likeness, deceives listeners, or diminishes the quality of our service" would not be tolerated, along with any fraudulent activity like suspicious streaming or upload activity. According to Tidal's post on X, this new policy will go into effect on July 15. Tidal's latest decision is similar to one of its competitors, who also demonetizes streams of AI-made tracks. Earlier this year, Deezer put out a report that AI-generated songs made up almost half of daily uploads. However, the French streaming platform said it only allows a small percentage of AI-generated music on its platform, with a majority of these streams being demonetized. Even streaming giant Spotify has employed its own way to address the wave of AI-generated music, introducing a "Verified by Spotify" badge that isn't eligible for AI-generated music or personas.

TIDAL will cut off royalties for AI-generated music and badge every track it catches

TIDAL will tag fully AI-generated music with an AI badge, block it from royalties and direct-to-fan sales, and remove AI tracks that impersonate artists. TIDAL is cutting off the money supply for AI-generated music. The streaming service announced a new policy that will prevent fully AI-generated tracks from earning royalties, collecting revenue from direct-to-fan sales, or being monetised in any way on its platform. TIDAL will also use automated tools to identify and remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or group. Under the new rules, tracks that TIDAL identifies as entirely made by AI will receive a visible "AI" badge so listeners know what they are hearing. The company said it expects distributors to flag AI-generated content before it reaches the platform. The policy takes effect on July 15. "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," wrote Tony Gervino, TIDAL's EVP and Editor-in-Chief, in the announcement. He added that many subscribers "do not want to be exposed to, or prompted to listen to, wholly AI-generated music." Gervino clarified that the policy is not meant to oppose technological advancement but to protect the revenue streams of human artists. The move places TIDAL alongside Deezer, which has taken the most aggressive stance in the streaming industry against AI-generated tracks. Deezer said in April that 44 percent of all new music uploaded to its platform daily, roughly 75,000 tracks, is fully AI-generated. It actively removes those tracks from recommendations, excludes them from editorial playlists, and offers its detection technology to rival platforms. Spotify updated its own AI policies last September to label tracks containing AI-generated elements and filter spam, while still allowing AI tools in the music creation process. Apple Music introduced transparency tags in March that let labels and distributors disclose when AI played a role in a track's creation. Qobuz has taken a harder line, removing AI-generated content from recommendations and committing to never generate music for its own catalogue. TIDAL's approach differs from all of them in one respect: demonetisation as the primary enforcement mechanism. Rather than simply labelling or hiding AI tracks, TIDAL is targeting the financial incentive that drives the flood of synthetic uploads in the first place. Whether cutting off royalties actually slows the deluge of AI music flooding streaming platforms is the question the policy is designed to answer. Gervino pushed back on the idea that AI's takeover of music is inevitable. "Regardless of what you are reading elsewhere, AI's takeover of the music industry isn't inevitable if we take even greater steps now to monitor and control it," he wrote. The company called the policy a "living document," signalling that the rules will evolve as AI music generation tools and detection capabilities change. TIDAL is smaller than Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer, but it has positioned itself as an artist-first platform since its founding and has a subscriber base that skews toward listeners who care about audio quality and artist compensation. If demonetisation proves effective at reducing the volume of AI-generated tracks that slip past listeners undetected, larger platforms may follow. If it does not, the industry will need a different answer to a problem that is growing faster than any single platform can solve.

Tidal Says It Won't Pay Royalties for AI-Generated Music

Spotify competitor Tidal built a reputation by collaborating with musicians and focusing on audio quality. How will it handle the era of AI-generated slop? Music streaming service Tidal announced it won't pay royalties for AI-generated music in an email to users and an announcement on its website published Monday. "Tidal's priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people," the announcement reads. "We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated." Like much of the internet, music streaming services are awash in AI-generated slop. Spotify promised to fight AI spam with labeling and filtering but also embraced the broader trend of AI music. AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown and Breaking Rust have millions of listens on Spotify and make the service money. In May, Spotify announced a deal with Universal that would let fans create "covers and remixes of their favorite songs."Soon Spotify customers will be able to push a button and discover what Metallica would sound like if it were a reggae band. Tidal is trying something different. The streaming service isn't a giant in the field -- Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify dominate the charts -- but it's built a reputation by collaborating with artists, giving them a bigger cut of the streaming profits, and focusing on delivering high quality versions of audio. Tidal is the streaming service for listeners obsessed with bit-rate and FLAC. It's for people who have $200 digital-to-analog converters next to their computer. The company said it won't pay for "wholly" AI-generated music but it also said it won't remove AI-tainted music from the platform entirely. Like Spotify before it, Tidal said it's going to work to identify the AI slop on its platform, label it, and hold AI-generated music to a "higher standard of content integrity." Spotify said something similar last year, but there are still plenty of unlabeled AI-generated tracks on the platform. Tidal also said it won't remove AI-tainted music entirely. "Artists should have the freedom to create with AI tools, and listeners should have the autonomy to choose the type of content they consume," it said. As of this writing, The Velvet Sundown and Breaking Rust are both live on Tidal. Breaking Rust's bio identified it as AI-generated country music, but The Velvet Sundown had no bio at all. "Tidal will not allow music that is 100% AI-generated to be monetized. No royalties will go to such releases, nor will AI-generated uploads be eligible for direct-to-fan sales," the company said in an email to its users. It elaborated on its website. "Starting today, AI-generated music will not be monetizable," it said. "We are only in the beginning of the era of AI-generated music. We acknowledge the ongoing debate regarding whether certain AI-generated music (e.g. AI-generated music developed from fairly and properly licensed models) should be entitled to earn royalties. This debate will continue as the technology advances and rightsholders and AI music platforms develop licensing models." It's unclear if The Velvet Sundown and other bands like it will keep making money on Tidal. The company told 404 Media that it's working with an external partner to manage detection and that "wholly AI-generated" was defined as a song where every component of the track was made using generative AI. "Our detection tools will determine how specific tracks and artists will be treated from July 15," Tidal told 404 Media in an email. "The impact to royalties comes into effect starting July 15 so we don't have numbers to share just yet." On June 28, the day before Tidal's announcement, The Velvet Sundown released a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" on Spotify and Tidal. It's atrocious and it's not labeled as AI-generated on either service. "We exist to confuse music journalists, comfort robots, and help Spotify executives sleep at night," says the frontpage of The Velvet Sundown's website. "We were basically built for it, engineered to fill playlists, avoid royalties, and haunt your Discover Weekly like a ghost with good taste. Is it art? Is it a loophole? Either way, it streams beautifully." Update 6/29/26: This story was updated to include comments from Tidal.

Tidal just drew a line in the sand on AI music -- 100% AI-generated tracks won't earn royalties on the music streaming platform

A tidal wave of wholly AI-generated music? Not on our watch, says the streaming platform * Tidal has published a new policy on AI-generated music content * Along with labelling 100% AI tracks, it targets "substantially generated" stuff too * Tidal "will not tolerate AI-generated music that impersonates an artist or group" Tired of the AI slop in your music -- or tracks your delicate ear perceives to be AI-generated -- in recommended playlists? You're not alone. In a welcome move for recording artists, their parents, their loved ones, and just lovers of original musical works with human vocals, hi-res music streaming giant Tidal has published a comprehensive AI policy with the strapline "Promoting Fairness and Economic Empowerment in the Era of AI-Generated Music". The publication of the policy follows extensive progress in this area from Deezer, with its free AI-detection tool that works on any streaming platform, Bandcamp's strong and concise anti-AI stance set out in January of this year, Apple's March-issue (but somewhat shaky) 'Transparency Tags' which rely on record labels and distributors to tag AI content in Apple Music, and Spotify's... er, Verified by Spotify badge, which certifies that an artist is human, but doesn't help filter out the slop from any generated playlists. Tidal's stance, while not before time, is particularly firm. The company's extensive six-point document was published today (Monday, June 29) and opens with the statement: "Tidal defines AI-generated music as music that is wholly or substantially generated by generative artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are not new to music creation, they have just become more commonplace and advanced. Our policy as it relates to AI-generated music is intended to capture recent developments in -- and the rapid proliferation of -- text-prompted AI music generation." The missive adds that while the streaming platform will accept AI-generated music ("Artists should have the freedom to create with AI tools, and listeners should have the autonomy to choose the type of content they consume"), it will "hold AI-generated content to a higher standard of content integrity". How? By identifying it, tagging it (by mid-July of this year) and crucially, not paying any streaming royalties for it. The tide is turning on text-prompted AI music creation Interestingly, Tidal is seemingly looking to go even further than Deezer here. While the rival platform's anti-AI filter currently works only on 100% AI tracks, Tidal's policy states: "As AI-detection methods become more reliable, we will expand this tag to content that is substantially AI-generated". Bold. The Tidal document adds, "But the responsibility to identify and tag AI-generated content should not rest with Tidal alone. We expect -- and will begin to enforce -- that content distributors identify AI-generated content before it reaches our platform." So, a two-pronged attack on AI? It's a move that can only be seen as a win for musicians and bands. That said, it remains to be seen how effective Tidal's specific anti-AI software will be -- and also, who exactly is helping the company achieve its admirable aims. I asked Tidal whether it had perhaps implemented Deezer's anti-AI tool (which the company made available to rivals back in January and subsequently offered to anyone who wanted to check their playlists for AI tracks regardless of the streaming service) and was told "We're currently working with an external partner to manage detection." So it seems Tidal is keeping its cards very close to its chest regarding how it's going to make good on the policy. Either way, it's a positive step in the fight to keep music and musicians (a)live. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Tidal lays down the rules for AI music. I wish Spotify and everyone else would follow

Every week, the AI music problem is getting increasingly hard to ignore, especially for streaming platforms. Deezer reported that 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform daily is now AI-generated; that's almost half the songs. Spotify relabeled and tightened its AI policies last September, while Apple Music announced a tagging approach in March. However, the subscription-based artist-first music platform Tidal has done something none of them did. So what exactly is Tidal's new policy? Starting July 15, 2026, Tidal's new AI policy will prevent fully AI-generated music from collecting revenue, earning royalties, or being eligible for direct-to-fan sales. Recommended Videos All 100% AI-generated songs will get a visible "AI" badge, so that listeners are well aware of the source. Further, if listeners don't want to listen to AI-generated content, they'll be able to filter out such content entirely. Among the strictest policies is the removal of music that uses AI to impersonate a real artist. The policy also applies to Tidal Uploads, the platform's direct-to-fan feature. Why does this actually matter more than what other platforms are doing? Tidal is cutting off the financial incentive for AI-generated content; that's different and more radical than what we've seen from other platforms so far. Both Spotify and Apple Music simply tag AI-generated songs, but Tidal ensures it can't earn money on the platform. That distinction matters, as it encourages real artists and their work. As Tidal EVP Tony Gervino put it, "AI's takeover of the music industry isn't inevitable if we take even greater steps now to monitor and control it." Tidal is careful to say this is not about rejecting new technology at all; AI-assisted music by human artists is still welcome. The line it's drawing is between human creativity supported by tools and wholly AI-generated music.

The AI music crackdown has exposed Spotify and Apple Music's biggest problem

More music-streaming services are demonetising AI, but only one of them is willing to fully protect human creativity and combat slop AI is everywhere. And everyone has their line in the sand. They'll say it's OK to do 'this' thing, yet not 'that' thing, with AI. Naturally, what most people consider acceptable tends to be whatever helps them work more efficiently, but not anything that threatens their own livelihood. All of which feels a tad hypocritical - and none of this is leading anywhere good. When I was a youngling, science fiction was full of people loafing about while robots handled the drudge work. But we now live in an age where tech bros, having contributed precious little of cultural value themselves, have decreed that GenAI should let everyone 'do' writing, 'do' music and 'do' art. This is, we're told, 'democratisation'. Except it isn't. It's the demolition of the creative industries. It convinces people that creativity begins and ends with having an idea, and that typing a prompt is somehow equivalent to spending time thinking, honing and refining a song, an illustration or a book into being. The line in the sand, though, is a strange thing. I increasingly see creatives using GenAI for the parts they can't do themselves. Musicians using GenAI for cover art. Artists using GenAI for writing. Writers using GenAI for music. And so on. Every compromise and transgression chips away at the whole. So it's refreshing when pushback comes - and not only from the public, but also from those in positions of power. Right now, the music streaming industry is waking up and drawing its own lines in the sand. Unfortunately, some are fragile to the point they'll be washed away by even the slightest wave. On the record Disclosure: I have a sliver of skin in this game. I've been writing songs since I was a teen - so for several [Over 35 actually - Accuracy Ed.] years now. During that time, I've sold... several albums too [Probably not over 35, sadly - Accuracy Ed.] and although that never paid the bills (and it's been over a decade since my last album escaped into the wild), passion keeps me going. I do of course believe anyone should be able to make music. But then it's never been easier to start. I don't, though, consider it OK to flood the market with slop and outright fakery, further devaluing human creativity. This week, Tidal became the latest platform to push back. Its AI policy doesn't ban AI-generated music outright, but it does demonetise it. Upload your GenAI "Phil Collins sings Metallica" and you won't get paid. Nor will AI slop farms pumping out AI-generated albums that are listened to by AI bots to siphon royalties from actual musicians. I welcome that - along with Deezer's similar policy. But Apple's 'self-declared AI transparency tags disclosure' approach falls short. Worse, Spotify is increasingly embracing AI, arguing that its controlled alternative of AI remixing is at least grounded in consent. The output is still slop, though. Bandcamp remains the outlier. Earlier this year, it banned all music substantially created by AI. That's consistent with a platform that has long prioritised artists and prized human-made music. Whether that position is sustainable is another matter. AI threatens to push beyond the uncanny valley. Soon, it might be impossible to distinguish AI-generated music from the real thing. Until that day, though, Bandcamp isn't compromising and neither should anyone else.