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Deezer and Apple Music Adopt Different Approaches to Identifying AI-Generated Music

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AI Music on Streaming Platforms: Deezer's Detection Surge and Apple's Voluntary Tags

AI-generated music now accounts for 44% of new uploads to Deezer, with nearly 75,000 such tracks added daily.

Deezer: Volume and Detection

Upload Trends

Deezer reported receiving approximately 75,000 AI-generated track submissions per day, accounting for about 44% of all daily uploads to the platform. This represents more than two million AI-generated tracks per month. Daily uploads have increased from 10,000 in January 2025, following the launch of Deezer's AI-detection tool.

Over the course of 2025, Deezer tagged more than 13.4 million AI-generated tracks on its platform.

Consumption and Fraud

Consumption of AI-generated music on Deezer accounts for 1–3% of total streams on the platform. According to Deezer's data, some AI-generated tracks are streamed by automated bots to collect royalty payments.

Up to 85% of streams on AI-generated music are detected as fraudulent and demonetized. By comparison, Deezer reported a fraud rate of 8% across its entire catalog.

Songs tagged as AI-generated are automatically removed from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists. Deezer also stopped storing high-resolution versions of AI-generated tracks.

Public Detection Tool

Deezer released a free online tool that allows users to scan their playlists on other streaming platforms for AI-generated music. The tool is accessible via Deezer's website, supports 27 languages, and is compatible with 20 platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, and YouTube Music.

Users grant Deezer permission to access their streaming service. Deezer imports their playlists using Tune My Music and scans them for synthetic content. Users are alerted to detected AI-generated tracks and have the option to share the results.

Deezer reported that 43% of new users arriving from rival services already had AI-generated music in their existing playlists.

Industry Adoption

Deezer offered its AI detection technology to other companies. According to CEO Alexis Lanternier, no other company adopted it. Deezer is now licensing the detection tool to other industry partners.

Qobuz announced plans in February 2026 to tag AI-generated content on its platform.

Apple Music: Voluntary Metadata Tags

Apple Music introduced new metadata requirements called Transparency Tags for record labels and distributors regarding AI-generated or AI-assisted content uploaded to its platform.

The tagging system is opt-in, meaning labels or distributors must manually flag AI content. The framework covers four creative elements:

  • Artwork: Flags AI use in generating static or motion graphic album artwork
  • Track: Indicates when AI generates a material portion of a sound recording
  • Composition: Covers AI-generated lyrics or other compositional elements
  • Music Video: Applies to AI-generated visual content

Content providers are responsible for determining what qualifies as AI-generated content and applying the relevant tags. Apple stated that proper content tagging is important for developing AI policies in the music industry.

Apple's transparency tag system does not include a visible enforcement mechanism or cross-verification process. The tags are currently optional, with no AI content assumed if omitted. Spotify has adopted a comparable voluntary tagging approach.

Survey Findings

A Deezer survey conducted in November 2025 found:

  • 97% of participants could not tell the difference between fully AI-generated music and human-made music
  • 52% of respondents said 100% AI-generated songs should not be included in charts alongside human-made songs
  • 80% of respondents said 100% AI-generated music should be clearly labeled for listeners

A 2024 Cisac study indicated that 25% of artists' revenue (€4 billion / $4.6 billion per year) could be at risk of being diverted by AI-generated songs by 2028.

Company Statements

"AI-generated music is now far from a marginal phenomenon and as daily deliveries keep increasing, we hope the whole music ecosystem will join us in taking action to help safeguard artists' rights and promote transparency for fans." — Alexis Lanternier, Deezer CEO

Lanternier also said:

"By detecting and tagging AI-generated music over the past year and a half, Deezer has been at the forefront of transparency in music streaming. No other company has followed our lead yet, so we decided to make it possible for everyone to check if their playlists include synthetic music, no matter which streaming platform they use."