Global Music Industry Implements AI-Generated Content Labels
The global music industry has officially taken a preventive step to safeguard the originality of creative works amid the massive onslaught of digital technology. A number of major international music industry organisations have launched a special labelling system to identify song content produced using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The initiative was collectively pioneered by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) together with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The progressive move also received full backing from other prestigious institutions, including the organisers of the Grammys and the artists’ union SAG-AFTRA.
“Music lovers deserve to know transparently the extent to which generative AI is used in a recorded work. The implementation of these labels will serve as an easily understood navigational instrument for the public while keeping the industry ecosystem healthy,” IFPI and RIAA executives declared in a joint statement in New York on Friday (10 July) local time.
The classification system divides labelling rules into two main categories to facilitate curation across digital music streaming platforms.
The first category is the “AI-Generated” label. This is attached to song material that essentially entrusts all or the majority of its creative elements to computer algorithms. Its scope covers compositions created purely from text prompts, including the use of artificial lead vocals (AI-voice) and key instrumental arrangements driven by artificial intelligence.
The second category is titled “AI-Assisted”. This classification is intended for musical works that remain substantially produced by humans and express the original creativity of the musician, but utilise AI technology to refine certain minor expressive elements. In this category, the absolute requirement is that the lead vocals and primary instruments must be performed directly by humans.
The move was released in response to the flood of AI content on streaming platforms. According to internal data from the platform Deezer, nearly half of all new song uploads on their system are now suspected of using AI. A similar phenomenon is occurring on Apple Music, where more than a third of new material entering their database is known to be purely the product of artificial intelligence.
Through this voluntary labelling standard, industry players hope to balance the pace of technological innovation without degrading the value of copyright, identity protection, and the essence of human creativity among the world’s musicians.