Spotify has started testing a feature that shows whether artificial intelligence was used in making a song — but the tags only appear when an artist chooses to add them.
The ‘AI Credits’ feature, currently in beta, was quietly disclosed within Spotify’s updated Support page. It shows AI contributions within the song credits section of Spotify’s mobile app. The move comes in response to growing pressure over AI-generated content on streaming platforms.
Listeners can see whether AI played a role in certain elements of a track, such as lyrics, vocals, instrumentals, or production. Spotify noted that “AI credits show how AI contributed to the song, not that the entire track is AI-generated.”
The rollout, which, according to Billboard, began with DistroKid users, allows labels and distributors to submit AI-use credits that appear in Song Credits on mobile. Spotify first outlined its AI credits plans in a September 2025 blog post, noting that it was helping develop a new industry standard for AI disclosures through DDEX alongside distributor partners including DistroKid, CD Baby, Believe, EMPIRE and others. The company updated that post earlier this month to reflect the beta launch.
Apple Music launched what it called ‘Transparency Tags’ in March, which it describes as system of disclosure labels that record labels and music distributors can begin applying to content delivered to Apple Music immediately, and will be required to use when delivering new content in future.
Apple Music’s new tool flags when AI was used in generating a material portion of a sound recording, or a song’s lyrics, among other things.
But while Apple Music has said its Transparency Tags will be required when delivering new content in future, the tags are currently optional and rely on self-reporting by labels and distributors, as MBW reported in March. Spotify’s AI Credits similarly depend on voluntary artist disclosure. Spotify said: “The absence of AI credits doesn’t mean AI wasn’t used on a song.”
“Where artists have chosen to disclose through their label or distributor, you’ll see credits for specific contributions like vocals, lyrics, or production in Song Credits on mobile.”
Spotify
Elsewhere in the market, Deezer uses its own detection tool to automatically flag tracks it identifies as fully AI-generated. Deezer’s proprietary tool has so far detected about 75,000 AI-generated tracks uploaded on its platform per day. That’s equivalent to about 2.25 million tracks per month.
When Spotify published its AI commitments blog post in September 2025, it noted that it had removed more than 75 million “spammy tracks” from its platform over the past year.
Following the latest AI Credits beta rollout, Spotify updated the September blog post, writing: “Starting today, we’re launching a beta feature that allows artists to share how they’ve used AI in their music. Where artists have chosen to disclose through their label or distributor, you’ll see credits for specific contributions like vocals, lyrics, or production in Song Credits on mobile.”
“This is a first step in our long-term commitment to transparency for listeners. Our immediate goal is to give artists who use AI tools creatively a way to share that process with listeners.”
“Because we depend on artist disclosure, the absence of a credit doesn’t mean AI wasn’t used. Not all distributors enable artists to disclose yet, but we intend to expand this more broadly over time.”
Spotify
Spotify highlighted that: “Because we depend on artist disclosure, the absence of a credit doesn’t mean AI wasn’t used. Not all distributors enable artists to disclose yet, but we intend to expand this more broadly over time.”
Spotify acknowledged that “this isn’t a complete solution on its own.” The streaming giant said: “Building a truly comprehensive system is a challenge that requires industry-wide alignment, but we didn’t want to wait to get started. That’s why we’re tackling it on parallel paths: adding this information to our Song Credits, while continuing to help lead the development of a broader industry standard for AI labelling that would give consumers consistent information across all services. We’ll keep evolving our approach as the landscape develops.
Sam Duboff, global head of marketing and policy, music business at Spotify, told Billboard’s On the Record podcast in September that “the starting point has to be shared language through the existing supply chain of music about what the formatting of that will be.”
Duboff acknowledged the challenge of setting policy amid the era of AI-generated music. “I know it feels like it’s moving fast, but consumption of AI-generated music’s insanely low. We have some time for artists, songwriters, producers to take the lead in figuring out how they want to use these tools.”
“We don’t want to act like we know where AI music’s headed and exactly every policy and role we need to future-proof for the next two or three years. But also, we didn’t just want to wait and do nothing,” Duboff told Billboard.
In October, Spotify said it partnered with all three major music companies – Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group – as well as indie music representative Merlin and independent music company Believe to develop “responsible” AI music products.
According to Spotify, all products developed through this collaboration will still let artists and rightsholders “choose if and how to participate to ensure the use of AI tools aligns with the values of the people behind the music.”
Music Business Worldwide
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