French streamer Deezer reveals that 28 per cent of music uploaded to platform is AI-generated

French music streaming service Deezer has revealed that 28 per cent of music uploaded to the platform is fully AI-generated – representing 30,000 AI tracks every day.

In a new report, Deezer shares that they installed an AI-detection tool at the beginning of the year, allowing the platform to label any song that uses artificial intelligence with a tag. They did so in June, and according to the group’s press release, they are the only music streaming platform to have done so.

The alarming new figure is an 18 per cent increase since February, when Deezer said around 10,000 AI-generated songs were submitted to the platform daily. 

“Following a massive increase during the year, AI music now makes up a significant part of the daily track delivery to music streaming and we want to lead the way in minimizing any negative impact for artists and fans alike,” said Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier.  

“Our approach is simple: we remove fully AI-generated content from algorithmic recommendations and we don’t include it in editorial playlists," added Lanternier. "This way we ensure the impact on the royalty pool remains minimal, while providing a transparent user experience. And most importantly, we continue to fight fraudulent activity, which is the main driver behind uploading fully AI generated content.”

Deezer competitor Spotify has come under fire for allowing AI music on its platform. The band The Velvet Sundown were revealed as being AI-generated and were reported to have more than 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners in just one month.

This comes during a difficult period in the music industry, where AI-generated music is increasingly polluting listening platforms.   

A report published last December in Harper’s Magazine alleged Spotify is supplementing playlists with “ghost artists” to decrease royalty payouts.   

These claims were highlighted in Liz Pelly’s investigative book “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist.”  

In her book, published by Hodder & Stoughton, the journalist critically examines Spotify’s practices and explains that the platform has no qualms when it comes to slipping music generated by fake AI-generated ‘artists’ into popular playlists.   

A separate study also released last December estimated that without intervention from policymakers, people working in music are likely to lose up to 25 per cent of their income to AI by 2028 - which could amount to as much as €4 billion by that time.

These figures come from the first global economic study examining the impact of AI on human creativity, courtesy of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).  

Many artists are struggling to find fair remuneration in this new digital ecosystem, and have been speaking out against the existential threat AI poses. 

From Nick Cave to Paul McCartney, via Elton John, Radiohead, Dua Lipa, Kate Bush and Robbie Williams – all have called on the UK government to change copyright laws amid the threat of AI.