Tidal is moving to clamp down on AI-generated music, introducing new rules that will label synthetic tracks and block royalties from music it identifies as wholly created by AI.
The move is significant for the streaming platform, which has long pitched itself at audiophiles and music purists through its focus on high-fidelity audio and artist-first positioning.
From July 15, Tidal listeners will begin seeing an ‘AI’ badge next to music the company detects as 100% AI-generated.
The platform said it will also use automatic tools to remove AI-generated releases that impersonate artists or groups, deceive listeners or are linked to fraudulent activity.
Tidal said AI-generated music will not be banned outright, arguing that artists should still be free to experiment with AI tools. But it said fully AI-generated tracks will not be monetised, meaning no royalties will be paid and the content will not be eligible for direct-to-fan sales.
“Tidal’s priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people,” the company said in its new AI policy.
The platform said the rules also apply to Tidal Upload, its service for independent artists. If uploaded music is found to be wholly AI-generated, it will be tagged and blocked from monetisation.
Tidal said it plans to expand its labelling system to music that is “substantially” AI-generated once detection technology becomes more reliable.
The policy comes as streaming services face growing pressure over AI music flooding catalogues, fake artist profiles, voice cloning and low-quality uploads designed to game royalty systems.
The move follows similar industry efforts such as Spotify’s new verified artist badge, Deezer’s claim that AI-generated tracks now make up 44% of daily uploads, and Sony’s work on technology designed to trace AI-generated music back to original artists.
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