Streaming service TIDAL is taking aim at the flood of AI-generated music on its platform — not by removing it, but by making sure it can't earn a payout.
According to TechCrunch, TIDAL's new policy will prevent AI-generated music from making money on the service. The Verge reports that TIDAL framed the changes as a way to "protect artists" and "inform listeners."
Notably, TIDAL is stopping short of an outright ban. Per The Verge, rather than pulling AI tracks down, the company is taking a two-part approach. Starting July 15th, TIDAL will attach an icon to tracks it has identified as being 100 percent AI-generated, so listeners can see what they're hearing. The demonetization piece, according to The Verge, begins today.
The distinction matters: AI music can still live on the platform and reach ears, but if a track is flagged as fully machine-made, it won't generate royalties.
The move lands as streaming services grapple with a surge of AI-made songs competing for the same payout pool that human musicians draw from. Detection and labeling — the approach TIDAL is leaning on — is becoming a central tool for platforms trying to tell synthetic tracks apart from human-made ones.
Why it matters: As AI-generated tracks multiply, how platforms choose to label and pay for them will shape both what listeners trust and how much money reaches human artists.