Deezer makes it easy for rival platforms to take action against AI-generated music

Last year, Deezer launched an AI discovery tool that automatically tags AI-generated music for listeners and removes it from algorithmic recommendations and editing.

The company announced on Thursday that it is now making the tool available to other streaming platforms in an effort to help tackle the rise of AI and fake streams, as well as promote transparency in the music industry and ensure that human artists still get the recognition they deserve.

Alongside the move, Deezer reported that 85% of streams from fully AI-generated tracks were considered fraud. Notably, the service now receives 60,000 AI tracks per day, which includes 13.4 million AI detected songs. In contrast, in June of last year, fully AI-produced music made up 18% of daily downloads, exceeding 20,000 tracks.

Deezer says its AI music discovery tool can identify all AI-generated tracks from major production models such as Suno and Udio. In addition to extracting AI-generated tracks from recommendations, Deezer’s tool monetizes them and excludes them from the royalty pool, as the company aims to fairly compensate artists and songwriters.

The tool’s accuracy is 99.8%, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier says there has been “tremendous interest” in the tool, and many companies have “already run successful trials.” One such company is Sacem, a French management company that represents more than 300,000 music creators and publishers, including David Guetta and DJ Snake.

The company did not provide pricing information or disclose which additional companies are interested in adopting the device. A spokesperson told us that costs vary depending on the type of deal.

There is growing concern about AI companies using proprietary material to train their models, as well as methods used to manipulate streaming systems and commit fraud.

One incident of music streaming fraud occurred in 2024, when a North Carolina musician was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for creating AI-generated songs and using bots to stream them billions of times, resulting in more than 10 million stolen music streaming payments. Additionally, AI bands like Velvet Sundown have earned millions of streams.

Bandcamp recently got fed up and banned AI-generated music entirely, while Spotify updated its policy to deal with the rise of AI tracks, clarifying when AI is used in music production, reducing spam, and clearly stating that unauthorized voice clones are not allowed on the platform.

In contrast, major record labels have settled lawsuits with Suno and Udio, which appear to be embracing AI-generated music. Last fall, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group struck deals with these AI startups to license their music catalogs, ensuring that musicians and songwriters are compensated when their work is used to train AI models.

In recent years, Deezer has taken significant steps to address concerns about AI-generated music. In 2024, it became the first music streaming platform to sign a global statement on AI training, joining actors Kate McKinnon, Kevin Bacon, Kit Harington, Rosie O’Donnell, and other notable creators.

​We hope that Deezer’s recent decision to sell its detection tool will set an example for other music streaming platforms to do the same to protect human artists and fight fraud.