TIDAL’s Bold Move: AI-Generated Music Gets the Royalty Boot

In a world where artificial intelligence can write a catchy jingle faster than you can say “What’s that song stuck in my head?”, TIDAL has decided to take a stand. The music streaming service recently announced that it will automatically tag AI-generated music and block it from earning royalties. Yes, you heard that right. If your latest banger was birthed from a computer algorithm rather than a human’s creative genius, well, TIDAL just put a big ol’ ‘NOPE’ on your paycheck.

We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated.” · “We expect – and will begin to enforce – that content distributors identify AI-generated content before it reaches our platform.” …

Now, before you start throwing your hands in the air and questioning the very fabric of musical artistry, let’s unpack this a bit. TIDAL’s move is not just a random act of defiance against the rise of our robot overlords (though it might feel like that). It’s more about protecting the rights of human artists who pour their hearts, souls, and probably a few tears into their work. After all, can a computer really understand the emotional struggle of writing a breakup song? I mean, I’d like to see a robot try to channel its inner Adele.

The decision to tag AI-generated music comes amidst growing concerns in the music industry about the authenticity of content. With AI tools capable of producing music that sounds eerily similar to that of established artists, it raises the question: who deserves the royalties? The AI? The programmer? Or the artist whose style was mimicked? TIDAL is clearly siding with human artists on this one, and honestly, who can blame them?

What does this mean for aspiring musicians? Well, if you were thinking about letting a computer handle your next album, you might want to reconsider. TIDAL’s new policy could deter some from using AI as a creative crutch. Sure, it’s tempting to let a machine do the heavy lifting, but if you want to see any returns on your musical investments, you might need to roll up your sleeves and get a little messy with your creativity.

But let’s not get too carried away with the doom and gloom. This move by TIDAL could actually lead to a renaissance of sorts for human musicians. With AI-generated tracks sidelined, there’s a good chance that listeners will gravitate more towards authentic, human-made music. And who doesn’t love a good underdog story?

Now, one might wonder how TIDAL plans to identify AI-generated music. Are they going to set up a special task force? Perhaps a group of music detectives who can spot a synthetic beat from a mile away? Or maybe they’ll just rely on some clever algorithms of their own. Either way, it’s clear that TIDAL is taking this seriously.

In conclusion, TIDAL’s decision to block AI-generated music from earning royalties might ruffle a few feathers in the tech world, but it’s a step towards preserving the integrity of the music industry. So, if you’re a musician, keep those creative juices flowing and remember: if you can’t beat the robots, at least make sure they don’t get paid for your hard work. And if you’re an AI, well, maybe stick to writing those catchy jingles and leave the heartfelt ballads to the humans. After all, no one wants to hear a robot sing about heartbreak. It’s just too… mechanical.


Inspired by: “TIDAL to automatically tag AI-generated music and block it from earning royalties” (r/technology)