TIDAL is introducing an AI policy that will automatically tag wholly AI-generated music in its app and block it from earning royalties.
The Block-owned streaming service will also remove AI-generated music that impersonates artists or is linked to fraud.
TIDAL published the policy on Monday (June 29), and called it “a living document” that it will keep updating “as the advancements in technology warrant.”
The policy is not a ban on AI-made music: TIDAL says it “will accept AI-generated music,” provided it meets the standards set out in the policy and in its agreements with rightsholders and distributors.
What it will not do is pay out on the music it identifies as 100% AI-generated.
“No royalties will go to such releases, nor will AI-generated uploads be eligible for direct-to-fan sales,” TIDAL said.
The company added: “TIDAL’s priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people. We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated.”
“We expect – and will begin to enforce – that content distributors identify AI-generated content before it reaches our platform.”
Tidal
That demonetization applies from the policy’s publication on Monday (June 29), while the consumer “AI” tag and the removal of fraudulent tracks take effect on Wednesday (July 15), according to TIDAL.
Listeners will see an “AI” badge next to music that TIDAL identifies as wholly AI-generated, and the company says it will extend the tag to “substantially” AI-generated music as its detection methods improve.
TIDAL said it will not tolerate AI-generated music that “exploits an individual’s or group’s music, name or likeness, deceives listeners, or diminishes the quality of our service.”
“TIDAL is not here to bash technological advancement,” wrote Tony Gervino, TIDAL’s Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, in a post announcing the policy.
Gervino said the company is acting because “our inboxes (and your world, we’re assuming) are inundated with music that is created completely AI-generated and impersonating existing artists purely for financial gain.”
“We are committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers,” Gervino added.
TIDAL says it also expects distributors to identify AI-generated content “before it reaches our platform.”
“We expect – and will begin to enforce – that content distributors identify AI-generated content before it reaches our platform,” TIDAL said in its new AI Policy.
The company added that its TIDAL Upload tool for independent artists will be held to the same standards, with uploads it believes to be wholly AI-generated blocked from direct-to-fan monetization.
TIDAL acknowledged an ongoing debate over whether some AI-generated music – such as tracks built on “fairly and properly licensed” models – should be entitled to royalties as the technology and licensing models develop.
“AI’S TAKEOVER OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY (AND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS) ISN’T INEVITABLE IF WE TAKE EVEN GREATER STEPS NOW TO MONITOR AND CONTROL IT.”
Tony Gervino, Tidal
TIDAL’s move follows similar action from Deezer, which says it was the first streaming service to detect and tag AI-generated music at the platform level.
The French company said in April that it was receiving close to 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks a day, or more than 44% of all new music delivered to its platform.
Deezer has also said that up to 85% of streams on fully AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025, and that it strips those streams out of royalty payments.
High-fidelity rival Qobuz announced its own detection system in February, saying it would tag AI-generated tracks and remove those found to be impersonating artists or manipulating streaming activity.
Apple Music, meanwhile, launched a tagging system in March that relies on labels and distributors to declare AI-generated content, rather than detecting it at the platform level.
Spotify began testing AI tags in its song credits in April, but only where an artist has chosen to disclose AI use through their label or distributor.
The company said in September 2025 that it had removed more than 75 million “spammy” tracks over the prior year, as it brought in rules against impersonation and AI-enabled fraud.
Spotify introduced a new verification badge for artist profiles on its platform in April and said that “at launch, profiles that appear to primarily represent AI-generated or AI-persona artists are not eligible for verification”.Music Business Worldwide