Tidal announced on June 29, 2026, that it will no longer pay royalties for music identified as wholly generated by artificial intelligence. This policy takes effect on July 15, 2026, alongside new labeling requirements for such tracks and measures against fraudulent AI uploads.

Beginning July 15, Tidal will apply an icon or badge to tracks determined to be 100 percent AI-generated. The platform will not ban AI-generated music, but these tracks will also become ineligible for direct-to-fan sales. Tidal plans to expand its labeling policy to include music that is substantially AI-generated as detection tools improve.

Tidal will remove or block AI-generated music associated with fraudulent activity starting in mid-July 2026. The company defines fraudulent activity to include music created to deceive listeners, interfere with authentic artists, high-volume uploads, or unusual streaming activity. Tidal expects content distributors to accurately label AI-generated music and will begin to enforce this expectation. The platform is collaborating with an external partner to manage the detection of AI-generated music. This new AI policy will apply to Tidal's independent artist franchise, Tidal Upload.

Tony Gervino, Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Tidal, stated that the company's priority is ensuring royalties are directed to original works produced, written, and performed by humans. "Tidal’s priority is ensuring royalties go to original works directly produced, written, and performed by people. We will therefore not knowingly attribute royalties to music we identify as wholly AI-generated," Gervino said. "We are committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers." Tidal defined wholly AI-generated music as a song where every component of the track was made using generative AI.

Robert Andersen, a principal designer at Tidal developer Block, noted the need for the platform to evolve its standards. "It has been clear for some time that we need to evolve our platform and standards to deal with this new type of submission to our catalog, so today we are announcing an AI-generated music policy designed to provide a great experience for our listeners, while protecting the authenticity and livelihoods of artists and rightholders," Andersen said. "Artists should have the freedom to create with AI tools, and listeners should have the autonomy to choose the type of content they consume," Gervino said.