Global Music Industry Launches Voluntary AI Labeling System

Kathmandu. Major music industry organizations worldwide have released a new voluntary labeling system for music content created using artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose of this is to provide listeners with clear information about AI-generated content.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), along with other organizations including the Grammy Awards organizers, released the system on Friday.

In a joint statement, the organizations mentioned that listeners want to know how and how much AI has been used in music creation, and expressed confidence that the new label will help maintain transparency.

Under the new system, two types of labels will be used. The first label, 'Created by AI,' will be used for content where most or all of the creative aspects of the song or recording are generated by artificial intelligence. This includes songs fully created by AI, and main vocals or major instrumental tracks created by AI.

The second label, 'AI-assisted,' will be used for music that is primarily human-created but has received AI assistance in some creative aspects. Under this provision, the main vocals and major instrumental performances in such content must be by human artists.

This voluntary labeling system aims to be implemented globally, including in music streaming services. The music streaming service Deezer has already implemented a system to automatically tag AI-generated content.

According to the company, about half of the newly uploaded content is currently AI-generated. In June, Deezer also released a system capable of identifying AI music with 99.8 percent accuracy.

Earlier this year, an Apple Music executive stated that more than one-third of newly uploaded content is fully AI-generated. The 'Digital Media Association' (DiMA), representing streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify, also welcomed the new labeling system and stated that AI-related metadata will be further strengthened to provide users with more transparent information.

Spotify launched the 'Verified by Spotify' label in April to identify official artist content and has also implemented new measures to prevent AI impersonation.