Deezer tightens rules after explosive rise in AI-generated music

The music industry is facing a crucial stage as fully AI-generated songs surpassed 50 percent of Deezer's daily new uploads for the first time in June 2025. The platform then received up to 90,000 such tracks per day, a sharp increase from April that same year when the figure was 44 percent, corresponding to about 75,000 played tracks per day.

This massive influx has highlighted growing concerns about automated music production. Deezer reports that a significant portion of AI-generated material is used to manipulate listening statistics and distort royalty payouts. The company estimates that up to 85 percent of all streams of fully AI-generated tracks in 2025 may be linked to fraudulent behavior tied to the platform's royalty model.

Paradoxically, AI music accounts for only between 1 and 3 percent of total listening on Deezer, despite dominating in terms of uploads. The majority of user listening is still dedicated to music created by human creators. However, the large volume of automatically created songs risks undermining fair royalty payments to songwriters and artists. This has led Deezer to introduce new, stricter measures.

Effective immediately, Deezer will remove AI-generated songs intended to manipulate streams and thus disrupt royalty flows. Content that has not been played in over six months is now also at risk of being deleted. Manipulative streams, once identified, will be completely excluded from royalty calculations. CEO Alexis Lanternier emphasizes the company's commitment to protecting creators' rights and prioritizing music that engages real listeners.

To meet the challenge, Deezer has been using its own system to identify AI-generated music since early 2025. During the year, more than 13.4 million such songs have been identified and labeled, with technology capable of recognizing works created with tools like Suno and Udio. Deezer has applied for two patents on its solution and now offers the system to other players in the industry as part of broader collaboration.

Further measures, such as depriving certain tracks of the opportunity to generate revenue and tightened distribution requirements, are now being evaluated. Deezer has previously kept AI-generated music out of its editorial playlists and algorithmic recommendations but had not systematically removed these tracks from the platform until now.

The issue of AI music is not unique to Deezer. Competitors such as Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music have also introduced labeling of AI-generated tracks and excluded them from regular royalty distribution. At the industry level, organizations such as RIAA and IFPI are pushing for two internationally recognized labels: one for "AI-generated" music and one for works where AI has only been used at some stage ("AI-assisted").

The extent is evident in consumer surveys. An Ipsos study with 9,000 participants from eight countries showed that 97 percent could not tell the difference between fully AI-generated and human-created music in blind tests. At the same time, 80 percent of respondents believe AI music should be clearly labeled, and 73 percent of active streaming users want to know when a platform recommends AI content.

Looking ahead, Deezer refers to research predicting serious financial consequences for creators: up to a quarter of their income could be at risk by 2028, amounting to nearly four billion euros. This increases pressure on the industry to establish common standards for transparency, identification and compensation models for AI-generated music.

With its latest measures, Deezer is marking a transforming industry, where the balance between technological innovation and a sustainable ecosystem for creators and listeners is in focus. As the amount of AI-created music continues to rise, the demands for fairness and transparency in the digital music world also grow.