Starting mid-July, wholly AI-generated tracks on Tidal will be labelled, blocked from monetisation and removed if linked to fraudulent activity.
Tidal is cutting off royalties for 100% AI-generated music and introducing detection labels for artificial tracks, with both changes rolling out from mid-July.
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Under the new policy, any track Tidal identifies as wholly AI-generated will be tagged with an icon visible to listeners. The company says it will expand that label to “substantially” AI-generated content once detection technology is reliable enough to do so consistently. Tidal will now require distributors to identify AI content before it reaches the platform.
Tidal won’t attribute royalties to music it identifies as 100% AI-generated, extending to Tidal Upload, its independent artist distribution tool. Direct-to-fan sales from Upload will also be blocked for wholly artificial releases. The company acknowledges there’s ongoing debate about whether AI music built on properly licensed models should eventually earn royalties, but its current position is that royalties belong to music made by people.
Fraudulent activity is the third pillar in the policy, stating AI-generated tracks linked to impersonation, listener deception, or unusual streaming patterns will be blocked or removed outright. Tidal retains the right to make that determination itself. The policy specifically calls out high-volume uploads and anything designed to interfere with an artist’s relationship with their audience.
Tidal is clear that it will still accept AI-generated music on the platform, provided it meets the updated content guidelines. The company’s framing throughout is that detection technology isn’t there yet for partial AI content, so the harder rules kick in at the 100% threshold for now.
Read the full policy here.
