On March 4, Apple Music began implementing Transparency Tags, a new initiative aimed at identifying AI-generated music and visuals. According to Music Business Worldwide, this system allows record labels to categorize their content into four distinct areas: tracks, compositions, artwork, and music videos. When submitting a song to Apple, labels can indicate whether a significant portion of the recording or its associated visuals was created using AI.
Apple has stated in a partner newsletter that the introduction of these tags is a crucial first step toward equipping the music industry with the necessary data to formulate informed policies regarding AI content. However, a significant concern looms: the lack of enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance.
The urgency of this issue is underscored by recent findings from Deezer, which revealed the pitfalls of relying on an honor system for AI music. The platform reported an influx of over 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily, accounting for approximately 39% of all music submissions. Since the beginning of 2025, Deezer has identified more than 13.4 million AI tracks, raising alarms about the integrity of streaming data.
Deezer’s analysis indicates that a staggering 85% of streams for AI-generated music in 2025 were fraudulent, a significant increase from 70% the previous year. These fraudulent streams are removed from the royalty pool, highlighting a growing concern about the financial implications of AI music. Deezer’s CEO, Alexis Lanternier, noted that the majority of AI music uploaded to their platform is intended for fraudulent purposes, creating a challenging environment for legitimate artists.
As streaming services like Spotify observe these developments closely, they are also taking steps to address the issue of AI-generated music. Spotify has announced stricter AI regulations and is working on establishing industry-wide tagging standards, although its detection capabilities currently lag behind those of Deezer. Like Apple, Spotify relies heavily on information provided by labels, which raises questions about the reliability of self-reporting in an environment rife with fraud.
While Deezer is proactively licensing its detection technology to other entities, such as the French collecting society Sacem, Apple’s approach with its transparency tags places the onus on labels and distributors to define what constitutes AI content. Currently, the tags are optional, and the absence of a tag implies no AI involvement. For listeners, this means that while AI tags will soon appear on Apple Music, the accuracy of these labels will depend on the honesty of those providing the information.
