Music Biz Urges Labeling for AI Recordings

Music trade organizations are uniting to advocate for voluntary labeling to distinguish between works that are all or partly made using artificial intelligence. Currently, Apple Music reports that more than one-third of its tracks are “100 percent AI,” while the streaming service Deezer says that AI-generated tracks comprise 44 percent of all new music on its platform.

The labels are simple icons, and are intended to signify the use of AI in the creation of the music alone, not in lyrics, music videos, or cover art. The “AI-Generated” label—the black capitalized letters “AI” against a white background—represent instances where generative AI is responsible in the “entirety or primary” portion of the recording. That may include lead vocals, key instrumental breaks, or the use of prompt-generating software for the work’s entirety.

A label featuring a white lowercase “ai” with a black background signifies that a work was created “substantially by humans and expresses human creativity,” but may have also relied on generative AI for some expressive elements.

The groups supporting the labeling effort include the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the Grammys, SAG-AFTRA, the Human Artistry Campaign, the American Association of Independent Music, Worldwide Independent Network, and the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA).

A joint statement from the CEOs of RIAA and IFPI characterized the labels as “an immediately understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency” and pledged “to offer fans additional information as adoption of generative AI labeling grows and technology evolves.”

Deezer, the first music streaming platform to detect, tag, and exclude AI-generated music from algorithmic recommendations, applauded the move as “encouraging” and promised its support for “the development of an industry-wide framework…. ensuring that all rights holders are fairly remunerated.”

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