Tidal Halts Royalties for Tracks It Flags as Fully AI-Generated

*Tidal will stop paying out on music identified as 100 percent AI-generated while still allowing the tracks on the service.*

Tidal announced a policy change that ends royalty payments for tracks the platform determines were made entirely by AI. The service will also begin labeling those tracks for listeners starting July 15. The move leaves the music itself on the platform rather than removing it.

The change took effect immediately for monetization. Tracks flagged as wholly AI-generated lose the ability to earn royalties from today onward. Tidal stated its goal is to direct payments only to work produced, written, and performed by people.

Detection methods were not disclosed. The company said it will apply an icon to qualifying tracks so users can identify them. No details were given on how the system will handle mixed human-AI productions.

Tidal built its position as a smaller rival to Spotify by emphasizing higher audio quality and direct artist relationships. The new rules test how that stance holds when AI tools can produce complete songs without human performers.

Why it matters

Streaming platforms already face questions about how to split revenue when creation costs drop near zero. By refusing to pay out on fully synthetic tracks, Tidal draws a line that protects existing royalty pools for human artists. The policy does not solve detection accuracy or the status of partial AI assistance, both of which remain open. Other services will watch whether the approach reduces low-effort uploads or simply shifts them elsewhere.

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Sources:

• The Verge
• Engadget
• 404 Media

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