Tidal to demonetize fully AI-generated music

Music streaming service TIDAL is introducing a new policy, effective July 15, 2026, that will prevent fully AI-generated music from making money on its platform. In addition to cutting off monetization, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group. The policy represents a direct intervention against the proliferation of synthetic tracks on streaming services, establishing clear boundaries for what can be monetized on the platform.

Under the new guidelines, fully AI-generated music on TIDAL will be identified and tagged with an “AI” badge, allowing listeners to see the label next to any tracks deemed to be 100% AI. These tracks will be completely ineligible to collect royalties or be monetized, and they will not be eligible for direct-to-fan sales on the platform. This policy places TIDAL alongside other competitors in the streaming music space—including Spotify, Apple Music, and Qobuz—which have developed their own approaches to managing AI-generated tracks. Another competitor, Deezer, has taken a similarly aggressive stance. Deezer reports that 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform daily is AI-generated, prompting it to remove AI tracks from recommendations and exclude them from editorial playlists.

TIDAL Executive Vice President and editor-in-chief Tony Gervino framed the policy as a defense of human musicians. “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. Many have told us they do not want to be exposed to — or prompted to listen to — wholly AI-generated music,” Gervino stated. He also emphasized that the takeover of the music industry and user recommendations by AI is not inevitable if platforms take greater steps now to monitor and control it. Ultimately, TIDAL’s policy could be a test to see if demonetization slows the deluge of AI music.

Why it matters

Tidal’s move to demonetize fully AI-generated music acts as a critical test for the streaming industry to determine if financial disincentives can effectively curb the rising tide of AI-generated content.