Photo Credit: Tidal

Tidal becomes the latest music streamer to take a stand against AI-generated music, introducing a new policy preventing the monetization of such tracks.

Streaming platform Tidal has become the latest music platform to formally announce a stance against AI-generated music. Tidal’s new policy will prevent fully AI-generated music from making money on the platform. Tidal will also use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an existing artist.

Along with these changes, fully AI-generated music on Tidal will be identified and tagged, communicating to users that a track has been deemed 100% AI. These tracks will not be eligible for monetization nor collect royalties, and will also not be eligible for direct-to-fan sales.

“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,” said Tony Gervino, Tidal EVP and editor-in-chief. “Many have told us they do not want to be exposed to—or prompted to listen to—wholly AI-generated music.”

Gervino added that the company’s new policy was not meant to “bash technological advancement,” but instead focuses on protecting and rewarding artists for their “organic creativity.”

“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,” Gervino explained.

Tidal’s announcement follows other services in the music streaming space that have developed their own policies to address the ever-increasing number of AI-generated tracks cropping up on their platforms. These include Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, and SoundCloud.

Like Tidal, Deezer has taken a stronger stance against AI than many of its rivals. The platform not only denies AI-generated tracks monetization, but actively removes them from recommendations and excludes them from editorial playlists.

Deezer recently announced that 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform daily is AI-generated; it offers its AI-detection tech to others as well as providing a consumer-facing tool that lets users see if AI music has made its way into playlists, even on competing services.