The Rise of AI-Generated Music on Streaming Platforms: Is It What Listeners Want?

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How it started
Generative AI’s entry into pop music began as a novelty. Albums like Taryn Southern’s *I AM AI* (2018) and Holly Herndon’s *Proto* (2019) showcased AI’s potential, with artists experimenting using tools like Google’s Magenta and even creating their own models. However, the game changed with the introduction of Suno in December 2023 and Udio in April 2024. These platforms enable users to generate full compositions from simple text prompts, making AI music creation accessible to anyone online. This accessibility led to a surge of machine-generated tracks flooding streaming services.

By September 2025, Deezer reported that 28% of uploaded music was entirely AI-generated. By year’s end, this figure had skyrocketed to over 50,000 tracks daily, making up 34% of all uploads. Both listeners and artists voiced their concerns, urging streaming platforms to address the issue of diluted playlists and the loss of royalties for genuine artists. Udio did not respond to requests for comment.

How it’s going
The situation at Deezer has worsened, with daily uploads of AI-generated content reaching 75,000, threatening to surpass human-created music. Spotify also took action, removing over 75 million spam tracks in just a year. Deezer was the first major platform to implement a detection system for AI-generated content, preventing its algorithm from recommending such tracks and demonetizing 85% of streams. Deezer’s CEO, Alexis Lanternier, emphasized the need for the music ecosystem to unite in protecting artists’ rights and ensuring transparency for fans.

Qobuz followed suit with its own detection system and an AI charter, pledging never to use AI for editorial or curation purposes. While it stopped short of banning AI-generated content, the company asserted that its core remains human-driven. Apple soon introduced a labeling system, albeit with a flaw: it relies on self-reporting from labels and creators to add Transparency Tags to their metadata. When questioned about enforcement, Apple pointed to an industry newsletter stating it defers to content providers for AI content classification.

Spotify also opted for a voluntary approach, launching AI credits to identify tracks created with generative AI. Collaborating with the standards group DDEX, Spotify aims to establish an industry standard for labeling AI content, allowing artists to specify the extent of AI involvement in their music. Initial implementations began in mid-April, with DistroKid as the first partner.

While DDEX includes many industry giants, not all are fully on board with Spotify’s standards yet. Spotify has faced criticism for its handling of AI-generated content and ghost artists but has recently emphasized its transparency efforts and its crackdown on spam and impersonation. The company introduced a Verified by Spotify badge to assure listeners of the authenticity behind artist profiles. Sam Duboff, Spotify for Artists’ global head of Marketing & Policy, mentioned that they are testing third-party detection tools, though they still face challenges with incorrect assessments.

Google also mandates labeling for AI-generated content on YouTube and YouTube Music. While the company hasn’t detailed its anti-AI spam measures, it claims to be building on established systems that have effectively combated spam and low-quality content. Non-disclosure can lead to penalties, including content removal or suspension from the YouTube Partner program.

Public sentiment towards AI music remains largely negative. A study by Deezer and Ipsos found that 51% of respondents believe AI will result in more low-quality, generic music. A poll by The Hollywood Reporter and the Frost School of Music revealed that 66% of people never knowingly listen to AI-generated music, and 52% would avoid music from their favorite artists if they knew it involved AI.

Research from Singapore indicates a significant negative bias toward AI-generated content, attributing it to the emotional connection people have with music. The authors argue that AI’s lack of expressive intent makes it less capable of conveying genuine emotion or fostering meaningful connections with listeners.

Despite this, only Bandcamp has outright banned generative AI music, stating that music generated wholly or largely by AI is not allowed. However, enforcing this policy is challenging, as Bandcamp relies on user reports to flag suspicious content rather than actively scanning uploads.

What happens next
The influx of AI music shows no signs of slowing down. The number of AI tracks uploaded has steadily increased over the past year, and according to Deezer’s Director of Research, Manuel Moussallam, “It is likely that deliveries will keep increasing.”

On a positive note, while generative AI uploads have surged by nearly 40%, there hasn’t been a corresponding rise in streams. Moussallam noted that consumption after removing fraudulent streams remains concentrated on a few viral tracks. As of April, AI-generated music accounted for just 1% of streams on Deezer, up from 0.5% in early November, but the percentage of fraudulent streams has jumped from “up to 70%” to 85%. This suggests that listeners are seeking out AI music less frequently, possibly indicating that the novelty has worn off.

YouTube’s Policy communications manager, Jack Malon, stated that the company is actively developing new industry standards for AI disclosures in music credits, though he did not confirm collaboration with Apple or Spotify. Google has been involved in creating C2PA for content authentication but has faced criticism for inconsistent implementation and potential misuse.

Neither Google nor Spotify appears ready to start demonetizing or excluding AI-generated music from their recommendation systems. Duboff mentioned that, “Over time, we believe the use of AI in music will increasingly be a spectrum, not a binary. Tracks won’t be ‘categorically AI’ or ‘not AI at all’ with no in between.”

Creations like Velvet Sundown, Breaking Rust, and Solomon Ray may be outliers, gaining attention more for their AI origins than for musical quality. Fully generative AI music poses a threat to working musicians, session artists, and library music composers, but they may struggle to gain traction on the charts.

However, artists are increasingly incorporating AI into their creative processes, even if it’s behind the scenes. AI has found its way into songwriting sessions in Nashville and is replacing sampling for hip-hop producers. Diplo suggests that creatives need to adapt, while Duboff notes that top artists and producers are regularly integrating AI technology into their work.

Companies are reluctant to penalize AI use, anticipating it will become a standard tool in the industry. Even with the launch of its Verified by Spotify program, the company acknowledged the evolving nature of artist authenticity.

As users generate vast amounts of AI content every two weeks, the call for significant action is likely to grow. The Deezer/Ipsos study found that 45% of respondents want the option to filter out all AI-generated music from their streaming libraries, a solution that no service has yet committed to. Implementing such a filter would require a consistent industry-wide labeling standard and reliable AI detection tools.

If someone wants to listen to Xania Monet, they should be free to do so. If it were possible to hide all generative AI music on Spotify with a flip of a switch, many would likely take that option.

By the way
* Suno and Udio have given rise to a subculture of AI creators who claim to exclusively listen to music they prompt.
* The first widely recognized AI pop song is “Daddy’s Car,” composed using Sony’s Flow Machines technology trained on the Beatles’ catalog.
* Companies are developing technology to reverse engineer the data AI is trained on, potentially leading to new legal challenges.
* Artists are considering adopting a certified “human-made” label.