Apple Music Claims AI-Generated Songs Make Up Less Than 1% of Plays on Platform

Apple Music said it’s aiming to combat AI-generated content and shared that the service has updated its music style guide to address AI in a memo to partners obtained by Billboard.

“While AI is an incredibly exciting opportunity that promises to further that goal, we believe that technology should amplify artists, not replace them,” states the memo, sent on Wednesday (May 20).

Within the memo, Apple Music claimed that AI-platform-generated content made up less than 1% of all plays each week on Apple Music, and that 65% of AI-platform-generated tracks had yet to receive a single play.

The service also claims that it has developed its own internal technology used to identify AI-generated content, and that if an AI song is utilizing streaming manipulation it will automatically be removed from the platform. Apple Music vp Oliver Schusser mentioned the technology when he sat down with Billboard on the Record last month.

“We’ve developed technology in-house that would allow us to exactly see what music people are delivering us, and what AI [model] it is and all that,” Schusser told Billboard’s Kristin Robinson at the time.

Apple Music also shared that its Music Style Guide has been updated to address AI. “In February, we explicitly prohibited the use of AI in a misleading manner, evolving our long-standing policies against impersonation, spam and content that creates customer confusion,” the memo continues. “We also work to further minimize the impact of spam-like behavior, including repeated submissions and repetitious tracks, through careful curation of our content delivery processes.”

Apple Music also says content providers are asked to include information about AI-generated content. “Top distributors have started supplying this information where appropriate, and it will be required of all providers in the future,” it added in the memo. “We believe labels and distributors must take an active role in shaping the industry-wide policies around AI, and that starts with delivering AI content in a more transparent way.”

Apple Music introduced tagging for AI songs in March, requiring record labels and music distributors to disclose AI use in what are called “Transparency Tags” for artwork, tracks, compositions and music videos.

Since 2022, Apple Music has penalized streaming fraud, and the service doubled down on its penalties in February. In the memo, it claims it’s excluded more than 2 billion manipulated streams and returned those royalties to its payout pool: “Stream manipulation remains below 0.5% on Apple Music, which is among the lowest rates in the industry,” the service adds.