AI Generated Music on Deezer
The streaming service for music, Deezer, headquartered in France, has reported that around 18% of all tracks currently being uploaded to its platform are entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday (April 16), the company announced that more than 20,000 AI-generated tracks are delivered to their platform each day, which is double the 10,000 tracks uploaded daily in January.
“Content generated by AI is here to stay, and we do not see any signs of it slowing down,” said Aurelien Hero, Chief Director of Innovation at Deezer.
Deezer introduced an AI detection tool in January after filing two patent applications for technology in December.
Hero emphasized that this tool assists the company in filtering out tracks entirely generated by AI from algorithmic recommendations for its 9.7 million subscribers.
Addressing AI’s Impact on the Music Industry
The detection tool can identify artificially created music from several generative models, including popular AI music generators Suno and Surprise.
Last year, Suno and Ugly filed a lawsuit against labels belonging to three major music companies, claiming that these companies used their models to train on copyrighted music without permission.
Suno also took legal action against the German collection and licensing authority Gema in January.
The increasing presence of AI-generated music on streaming platforms has become a significant concern for artists, labels, and publishers across the music industry.
In January, Deezer’s CEO Alexis Lanterner stated the company’s intention to “exclude” completely AI-generated tracks from algorithmic and editorial recommendations.
“Generative AI has the potential to positively impact the creation and consumption of music, but its use should be guided responsibly to protect the rights and income of artists and songwriters,” Lanterner noted at that time.
Challenges and Considerations Ahead
Deezer has been one of the most proactive digital service providers in detecting AI-generated content, including “noise” tracks designed solely to generate royalties and other low-quality content.
In 2023, the company rolled out an “artist-focused” payment model in partnership with Universal Music Group, aimed at fairly compensating artists with significant followings while phasing out low-quality content.
Other music companies, such as Warner Music Group and the Merlin Licensed organization, have since adopted this model in France.
Last year, Deezer revealed it had removed 26 million “useless” tracks from its platform after rolling out the artist-focused approach.
A report published at the end of last year by CISAC, the umbrella organization for authors’ societies, estimated that AI could “cannibalize” up to 24% of music creators’ revenues by 2028.
The growing use of Generative AI in creative industries has led to a wave of lawsuits as artists, authors, and rights holders accuse AI of copyright infringement without their consent or compensation for training its models.
Numerous musicians, including Billy Eilish, Nicky Minaj, and Stevie Wonder, have signed an open letter warning that music generated by AI, which uses their work for training, could “sabotage creativity” and overshadow human artists.
