Deezer Battles AI-Driven Music Fraud with New Song Labeling System

Music streaming giant Deezer is confronting a serious challenge fueled by artificial intelligence: a surge in AI-generated songs flooding its platform, often used to exploit the royalty payment system fraudulently. As the digital music landscape shifts under this new wave of technology misuse, Deezer has responded by introducing an on-screen “AI-generated content” label designed to alert listeners while targeting deceptive streaming practices.

This development highlights an urgent issue sweeping the entire music industry. Deezer’s CEO, Alexis Lanternier, calls out the dangerous trend where large volumes of AI-created tracks are uploaded daily — now making up nearly one-fifth of new songs added to the service. Just three months ago, that figure stood closer to 10%, signaling rapid growth in this problematic area.

AI’s Double-Edged Sword in Music

While artificial intelligence offers creative tools for artists, its unfettered use is creating significant legal and ethical dilemmas. The core concern resides not with artistic collaboration but with automated music factories producing songs en masse without human artistry or authorization. These tracks then infiltrate playlists and recommendation algorithms through “streaming farms”—bot networks that inflate play counts and illicitly claim royalties.

Deezer estimates that as much as 70% of listens on these AI tracks come from such non-human sources, underscoring a systemic attempt at fraud rather than genuine listener engagement. Despite fully AI-generated music currently accounting for only a small fraction of total streams (about 0.5%), the financial incentives driving this behavior are substantial. In one reported case in the United States, a man was charged with wire fraud after generating hundreds of thousands of AI songs and artificially streaming them billions of times to earn over $10 million.

Industry-Wide Response: Protecting Artists’ Rights Amid Legal Gray Areas

The rise in AI-generated content also challenges copyright laws traditionally centered around human creativity. Major record labels and collecting societies have initiated lawsuits against popular AI song generators like Suno and Udio for allegedly infringing copyrights by replicating or closely mimicking original works without compensation.

Deezer’s approach involves using advanced detection systems—powered by AI itself—to analyze newly uploaded songs and identify telltale signs unique to machine-generated music. This adaptive strategy continuously updates to counter evolving techniques employed by fraudsters.

This tech-on-tech battle underscores an important principle: safeguarding artist sovereignty and creative rights must remain paramount amid rapid innovation. Allowing unchecked exploitation threatens both the livelihood of genuine musicians and public trust in digital platforms.

The Broader Implications

As artificial intelligence reshapes various facets of modern life, lawmakers, platforms, and creators face urgent choices about regulation and enforcement priorities. Deezer’s initiative shines a spotlight on how national sovereignty over intellectual property rights is being challenged globally by technologies developed without clear accountability or fair compensation frameworks.

The fight against AI-enabled streaming fraud is not just about protecting royalties but preserving an equitable marketplace where American musicians and rights holders can thrive without being undercut by faceless algorithms designed solely for profit maximization through deception.