TIDAL to Demonetize Fully AI-Generated Music and Remove Impersonations

TIDAL to Demonetize Fully AI-Generated Music and Remove Impersonations Music platform TIDAL is escalating the music industry’s battle over artificial intelligence by choosing the wallet as its main enforcement tool, moving to strip fully AI-generated tracks of any chance to earn money on its service.

From July 15, TIDAL will block royalties and direct-to-fan revenue for music it determines is entirely AI-made, tagging those tracks with a visible “AI” badge so listeners can easily identify them. The company will also deploy automated tools to detect and remove AI-generated songs that impersonate real artists or groups.

In an announcement, Tony Gervino, TIDAL’s EVP and editor-in-chief, framed the move as a defense of human creativity and fan relationships. He said TIDAL is “committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers,” adding that many users “do not want to be exposed to — or prompted to listen to — wholly AI-generated music.” Gervino stressed the policy is not meant to “bash technological advancement,” but to safeguard artists’ revenue streams.

The policy places TIDAL among a growing group of streaming services reacting to an influx of AI tracks. Spotify has updated its rules to label AI-assisted music and filter spam while still allowing AI tools in the creative process. Apple Music has introduced transparency tags so labels can disclose AI involvement. Deezer, which says about 44% of new daily uploads are fully AI-generated, removes such tracks from recommendations and editorial playlists and offers its AI-detection tech to rivals. Qobuz has taken a harder cultural stance, pledging never to generate music for its own catalogue and limiting AI content in recommendations.

Where others focus on labeling and recommendation tweaks, TIDAL’s experiment centers on demonetization. Industry observers will be watching whether cutting off financial incentives can meaningfully slow the flood of AI music that many listeners, and many human artists, see as diluting the streaming ecosystem.

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