Bandcamp bans AI-generated music on its platform

Music distribution platform Bandcamp is prohibiting music that has been fully or partially created with the power of artificial intelligence.

According to the company, Bandcamp was founded with the intention of spreading the love for music, directly connecting artists with their fans, and exploring the musical universe. Music is a part of our society and cultural heritage and, therefore, much more than a product to be consumed, according to one of Bandcamp’s core principles.

Artificial intelligence (AI) shouldn’t be a part of this connection between artists and fans, the music distribution platform feels. Accordingly, the company is changing its policy on generative AI, “so that musicians can keep making music, and so that fans have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans.”

Bandcamp has announced two new guidelines for generative AI in music and audio. First of all, music that is wholly or in substantial part generated with AI is not permitted on Bandcamp.

Secondly, any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with the company’s existing policies on impersonation and intellectual property infringement.

“With this policy, we’re putting human creativity first, and we will be sure to communicate any updates to the policy as the rapidly changing generative AI space develops,” Bandcamp states in a press release.

Users who stumble upon music that appears to be AI-generated are encouraged to use Bandcamp’s reporting tools to flag the content, which will then be reviewed by a team of experts. If suspicion arises that a song or album is fully or partially generated with AI tools, the company reserves the right to remove it.

Bandcamp isn’t the first music platform to come into action against AI-generated music.

Last year, Deezer introduced an AI detection tool to review submitted tracks. Unlike Bandcamp, the goal of this wasn’t so much to remove “synthetic content” from the platform, but to offer transparency to music lovers, notifying them that a song was created using AI tools.

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“We want to lead the way in minimizing any negative impact for artists and fans alike. Our approach is simple: we remove fully AI-generated content from algorithmic recommendations, and we don’t include it in editorial playlists. This way, we ensure the impact on the royalty pool remains minimal while providing a transparent user experience,” CEO of Deezer Alexis Lanternier explained.

Last year, Spotify received significant backlash for promoting a fake band called The Velvet Sundown. The same happened when a fake song by the late country artist Blaze Foley went live. This sparked an online debate about deepfake music, legacy fraud, and the streaming platform’s failure to flag synthetic content

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