Apple Music to Label AI-Generated Content with Disclosure Tags
In Focus
- The labels are aimed at increasing transparency about AI-generated content
- Apple Music’s AI labels will include track tags and composition tags
- Music distributors and record labels are not obligated to use disclosure tags
Apple Music has introduced disclosure labels designed to improve transparency around AI-generated content. According to TechCrunch, the platform is encouraging music distributors and record labels to use Apple Music AI tags to flag content developed using artificial intelligence.
Transparency Tags Cover Multiple Metadata
Apple Music’s AI labelling system covers a range of metadata in music. These include album title, song title, artist name, genre, and any other information that’s needed to organize music files.
The labels will enable music distributors to clarify when a song’s artwork, track, video, or composition has been created with the help of AI. For instance, Track tags will be used to show that a significant portion of an audio recording has been created using artificial intelligence.
Similarly, Composition tags will indicate that a significant part of the music composition in a track is AI-generated. The iPhone maker introduced Apple Music AI labels weeks after YouTube Music faced backlash from users for recommending AI-generated content.
Users claimed that the platform’s algorithm was pushing AI songs to their feeds and that features like “not interested” and “dislike” had not fixed the issues.
Industry Partners Notified of Disclosure Tags
Apple already informed industry partners about the Transparency Tags requirements. In a newsletter released on March 4, 2025, the tech giant explained that it will be rolling out a set of metadata to enhance transparency on the use of AI in music.
“Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI. We believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI,” Apple stated.
The company views the transparency tags as “a concrete first step toward the transparency necessary for the industry to establish best practices and policies that work for everyone.”
Users appear to be interested in the Apple Music AI music labeling feature. Recently, one of them shared a mock-up proposing a similar feature on Reddit. However, it’s still not clear how such a system would work because labelling depends on record labels or distributors voluntarily tagging tracks that use AI.
What the Disclosure Tags Mean for Competition
Apple’s disclosure labels will likely prove effective in helping users differentiate between original music and AI-generated content. While the company has not made it a requirement for distributors to label AI content, providing the labels is a step in the right direction.
Last year, Spotify introduced similar labels along with a policy that allows the removal of AI voice impersonations that resemble real-world artists. Some music streaming platforms like Deezer have adopted a much stricter approach. Instead of asking music distributors to disclose AI usage, the platform uses an automated AI-detection system.
The system has been in place for more than a year. Deezer says it receives more than over 60,000 AI-generated content per day. To date, its AI-detection system has flagged over 13.4 million AI-generated songs.
