|
Paris, February 26, 2026 – Qobuz, the independently-owned music streaming and download platform, is taking concrete steps to protect artists and listeners from AI-generated content. Following the publication of its AI Charter earlier this month, Qobuz is announcing a proprietary AI detection system that will identify and tag AI-created tracks across both new releases and its existing catalog.
AI detection system: putting the Charter into action
Using a new, proprietary tool, Qobuz has started analyzing its catalog to identify and tag content that is 100% AI-generated. These tags will be visible across all Qobuz applications in the coming months.
Qobuz already employs tools to detect fraudulent uploads and will continue to develop and refine these systems as technological and regulatory developments evolve. The platform reserves the right to refuse or remove content that appears to have been uploaded fraudulently – including impersonating artists or manipulating streaming activity. In these cases, signals beyond AI detection alone may also be considered.
The human approach: a bulwark against industrial AI content
Building on the principles set out in the Charter, Qobuz ensures human artists remain at the heart of music discovery through editorial oversight and anti-fraud measures:
- 100% Human-Led Editorial Selection: All recommendations – Qobuzissimes, Albums of the Week, playlists – are chosen by human teams, effectively excluding industrially generated AI content from prominent areas of the platform.
- Recommendations That Prioritise Human Artists: The Discover page relies on data curated by Qobuz editorial teams and trusted partners, excluding AI-generated tracks to ensure visibility and compensation for real artists.
- Dedicated AI Identification and Anti-Fraud Tools: Qobuz will continue to develop technologies to detect AI-generated content and fraudulent streaming patterns. Fraudulent streams are excluded from reports and royalty calculations, and AI-generated content is removed upon detection.
Beyond these measures, Qobuz will never generate audio content for its catalog, replace human curation with AI, or use customer data to train external AI models.
Transparency and industry responsibility
Qobuz recognizes the growing challenge of AI-generated content and the need to safeguard artists’ livelihoods. According to a 2024 CISAC study, by 2028, music creators could lose around €10 billion (~$11.7 billion) over five years - up to 24% of their revenue - due to AI-generated content. At the same time, generative AI in music is projected to earn roughly €4 billion (~$4.7 billion) annually from unlicensed use of creators’ works, representing a direct transfer of economic value from human artists to AI companies. At stake are the value of human creativity, the transparency of streaming ecosystems, and artists’ livelihoods.
"The hyperinflation of AI-generated content is creating distrust across the music industry. At Qobuz, music discovery remains guided by human passion, not algorithms optimised for volume. These new measures reinforce our commitment to guaranteeing fair artists’ visibility and compensation, giving listeners confidence that humans remain in control," said Georges Fornay, Deputy CEO of Qobuz.
The Qobuz AI Charter is available here: https://community.qobuz.com/ai-charter
|
