Apple Music is flagging AI slop before Spotify has even started but there's
a catch

Date:
Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:29:34 +0000

Description:
Apple Music is rolling out Transparency Tags for AI-generated music, but the responsibility lies with record labels.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Apple Music is rolling out its own system for flagging AI-generated music 'Transparency Tags' will focus on visual elements as well as music
composition The catch is that the responsibility lies with record labels and distributors The war between AI and the best music streaming services continues, and Apple Music could be next to storm the battlefield with its
own AI music tagging system.

Dubbed Transparency Tags, Apple s flagship music platform is tipped to roll out a new metadata system to help identify AI-generated and AI-assisted
music. This was revealed in a newsletter sent out to industry partners on March 4, but theres one big caveat that seems quite contradictory the
tagging responsibility lies with record labels and distributors.

Before content is submitted to Apple Music, record labels and distributors will have the option to disclose whether AI has been used during the production process, a method that Apple is implementing to increase transparency on how companies use AI in music production. The system will focus on four creative aspects. You may like Music fans are demanding Spotify flags AI-generated music recommendations Spotify claims it's not forcing AI-generated music onto listeners. Deezer's AI music-detection tool is now available for rival services to use Record labels and distributors can apply tags to music based on four categories; Track, Composition, Artwork, and
Music Video (Image credit: Apple) The first is the music itself, or the Track tag, which will be used to show if AI has contributed to a material portion
of the audio recording. This tag is at the track-level only. On a similar note, the Composition tag will be used to highlight that AI was used in a material portion of the music composition, and also flags AI-generated
lyrics. But Apple Music is taking it a step further with Transparency Tags that have a visual focus. As well as audio tags, Apple Music is rolling out
an Artwork tag that, as its name implies, flags AI-generated static and
motion imagery used on the cover of an album or single. The Music Video tag
is similar, applying to visual components to albums and standalone videos.

Though the newsletter has been limited to the eyes of industry partners,
Music Business World shared an excerpt from the announcement; Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI, the outlet starts. We
believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when
the content they deliver is created using AI.

Despite the information we have so far, Apple hasnt disclosed when Transparency Tags will roll out, however weve reached out for further comment and will update this story if we find out more. Its not surprising to see
that Apple Music is taking initiative before Spotify has even started, but
its frustrating loophole is all a bit one step forward, two steps back. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. It's optional, for now Deezer is one of the few music platforms that has a strict AI detection
system (Image credit: Future) Putting a responsibility like this on record labels and music distributors welcomes a slew of issues. For one, since its essentially an opt-in program, it doesnt guarantee 100% transparency as
labels can easily choose not to disclose such information, but who can blame them?

You could deliver the best song in the world, but having an obtrusive AI tag slapped onto your song isnt the most attractive as a passionate music fan,
Id immediately skip a song if it had this. Its also a hindrance to streaming numbers, which labels arent willing to risk. Even if a song only has a tiny portion of AI-generated audio for creative purposes, most listeners would assume the whole song is AI-generated and skip accordingly.

That said, the opt-in system could simply be a temporary placeholder for now, as Music Business World reports that Transparency Tags may become a required practice for labels and distributors when delivering content to Apple Music. Its a very different approach to the ones its rivals have taken. Deezer, for example, has developed its own AI detection tool which it recently made available to competitors while Bandcamp has banned AI-generated music altogether .

That just leaves Spotify to join the growing army of music streamers against AI, but although it tightened new impersonation rules for music uploads , it has yet to follow suit with a legitimate system that clearly labels AI slop. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/apple-music/apple-music-is-flagging-ai-slop-be fore-spotify-has-even-started-but-theres-a-catch


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