Apple Music will start including specific labeling to identify music tracks that were produced with the help of generative artificial intelligence. This marking will be mandatory for record labels and distributors whenever the technology is used in a significant part of the composition.
According to information released by the Hollywood Reporter, the platform plans to make this tag available this year, although there is no official date for its launch yet. This change meets the requirements of entities such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which call for greater clarity in identifying this type of material.
Previously, Apple already required distributors to label tracks using AI through transparency tags since March; now, this information must be displayed directly to listeners. The new guidelines require creators to use the so-called 'AI Transparency Tags' whenever artificial intelligence has a relevant contribution to the creation of the work.
Oliver Schusser, Global Director of Apple Music, confirmed in an interview with Billboard that Apple has means to monitor these submissions, stating that the company has developed internal technologies capable of verifying the type of music submitted and which AI model was used.
Meanwhile, Spotify has been operating a voluntary system for labeling AI-generated tracks since April, treating this content as optional and separating it from the recommendation system. Apple Music, however, has not specified whether it will adopt similar measures.
This initiative comes after a group of music industry organizations united to establish an identification standard for AI-generated music, aiming for a tagging system comparable to that used for explicit content. In July, this group suggested the creation of two specific tags.
The organizations express concern over the growing volume of synthetic music, which already represents a considerable share of submissions to major streaming services. Schusser had mentioned in April that one-third of monthly uploads consisted of AI-generated content. In the following month, the company estimated that this music accounted for less than 1% of total plays in the catalog, with most of them not even registering a play.