Music Coalition Pushes For AI Labels on Streaming Services

A coalition of music industry trade groups led by the RIAA and IFPI has announced a new program for labeling AI music, seeking wider-spread industry adoption from the likes of streaming services and other industry stakeholders as AI-generated songs continue to flood the market.

The program would be akin to how explicit music is currently labeled on services, that little “E” box listed beside a track. The groups suggested two different labels for AI: one “AI-generated” logo to disclose a song was created wholly or mostly with AI, and a separate “AI-assisted” logo for if a recording was substantially human-created but AI was use for some “expressive elements.”

Along with the RIAA and IFPI, The Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA,  A2IM, WIN, IMPALA and the Human Artistry Campaign all signed on advocating for the labeling as well. The announcement refers to the disclosures as voluntary, and the groups said the labels are “designed to evolve as technology and requirements change.”

“Fans want to know whether and how generative AI has been used in the music to which they listen,” IFPI CEO Vikki Oakley and RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a joint statement. “Given how important human artistry and authenticity is to music lovers all over the world, these labels will provide an immediately understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency. We acknowledge the many ways AI is being used creatively, so we expect to offer fans additional information as adoption of generative AI labeling grows and technology evolves.”

It’s unclear the timeline on if and how this system would be adopted. The groups said Friday that they will work with “digital music services, distributors, aggregators and standard-setting bodies on industrywide implementation.”

The move comes as AI music continues to proliferate across the music ecosystem. Some platforms have decided to outlaw AI music entirely. Apple Music recently revealed about a third of all its daily uploads are AI-generated songs. It’s a common vehicle for streaming fraud given how easy it is for bad actors to create and upload scores of new recordings, though services like AI music generation platform Suno are also becoming more popular among professional artists, producers and songwriters as well.

“As AI continues to be integrated into the creative process, artists and fans alike deserve a clear way to communicate how and when it’s being used,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “This initiative ensures that creativity, authorship, and artistic intent remain at the center of every song. Giving artists the ability to tell that story strengthens trust and supports a more sustainable future for music.”

As SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said: “Transparency is essential, but it is only the beginning. Fans deserve to know when the music they hear is AI-generated or AI-assisted, and performers deserve a marketplace that recognizes, values, and protects human creativity.”

Outside of the groups’ new label program, streaming services including Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal had already introduced voluntary AI music disclosure systems of their own. In Spotify’s case, those disclosures are shown in the song’s credits.

How common any sort of voluntary AI disclosure would actually be is unknown as artists have little incentive to self-report given the stigma around AI music, and those using AI for fraudulent purposes certainly aren’t looking to be transparent. Still Spotify previously said that in a blog post that the service has already seen “tens of thousands of AI credits submitted daily by artists using AI in their creative process.”

Beyond self-reporting, technology around AI detection will also play a key role in wider-spread labeling going forward.

Graham Davies, CEO of The Digital Media Association (DIMA) — the trade group representing streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify — said in a statement Friday that the organization is “following today’s announcement closely, further adding that it awaits getting better AI metadata from stakeholders.”

“That information flows best when it travels the entire path from creator to fan, and our members rely on industry partners to make that possible,” Davies said. “Our members look forward to continuing to work with the labels, producers, artists and distributors, as well as other industry stakeholders and standards bodies such as DDEX, to build a robust supply chain in which consumers can trust.”

Suno issued a statement Friday calling AI labeling “a nuanced conversation that will require thoughtful solutions, which is why we’re continuing to work with creatives, rightsholders, and platforms on approaches that protect artists while supporting human creativity.”

“We believe transparency is important,” Suno said. “We’re investing in watermarking, audio fingerprinting and other tools that empower artists to disclose if they used AI in a song. We believe that ultimately it should be up to artists and platforms to decide how to treat these complex issues.”