Music groups announce voluntary labels for AI-made recordings

Several major music industry organisations announced a voluntary labeling system for recordings made with generative artificial intelligence, saying they want the labels to be adopted widely, including by streaming services.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the Recording Industry Association of America announced the labels with six other groups, including the Grammys. The heads of IFPI and RIAA said in a prepared statement that fans want to know whether and how generative AI has been used, and said the labels are meant to provide a clear and scalable way to show that information.

The groups proposed two labels. One would apply to music that is mainly AI-generated, meaning AI was used to create all or the main part of the recording's creative elements. The statement said that would include tracks made entirely from AI prompts, as well as recordings with AI-generated lead vocals or key instrumental tracks.

The second label would apply to AI-assisted recordings. The groups said those works would still need to be substantially created by humans and express human creativity, but could include some expressive elements generated by AI. Under that label, humans would have to perform the lead vocals and main instrumental tracks.

The announcement comes as streaming services and music companies face rising volumes of AI-made music. Deezer already flags tracks generated with AI, and the company recently said such tracks appeared in close to half of new uploads. Deezer launched an AI music detector in June that it said was 99.8 percent accurate. Earlier this year, an Apple Music executive told Billboard that more than one third of new uploads were entirely created with AI.

The Digital Media Association, which represents streaming companies including Apple Music, Amazon and Spotify, said it was watching the labeling announcement closely and wanted more detailed and accurate AI metadata to improve transparency for listeners. Its chief executive, Graham Davies, said the association has long called for accurate and timely metadata on music released and distributed to streaming services.

Spotify launched a "Verified by Spotify" label in April to signal artist authenticity. The company also announced efforts last year to support AI disclosure and fight impersonation.