Believe and TuneCore are implementing stricter policies to block unlicensed AI-generated tracks, signalling a shift towards rights-based AI use in the music industry amid ongoing legal battles and industry concerns over content quality.
Believe and its distributor TuneCore are tightening their rules on artificial intelligence in music, moving to block tracks made with unlicensed generative tools that they describe as “pirate studios”, including Suno. According to Music Business Worldwide, the companies have sharpened their policy to distinguish between AI used with permission and AI built on material they say has been trained without the necessary rights.
Denis Ladegaillerie, Believe’s chief executive, said the company is using internal detection systems that can identify the model or platform behind a track with around 99% reliability. That, he said, allows Believe and TuneCore to reject music created on services that do not have proper licences in place. In parallel, Believe has struck licensing agreements with ElevenLabs and Udio, signalling that it is not opposing AI altogether, but rather trying to confine its use within a rights-based framework.
TuneCore’s published GenAI policy sets out four guiding ideas: consent, control, compensation and transparency. The company says it will support generative AI in music only when the underlying models are trained on fully licensed datasets and creators retain proper oversight of their work. The policy also reflects a broader concern within the industry that mass-produced AI tracks are clogging streaming platforms and depressing quality, even if they still account for only a small share of listening.
The dispute sits at the centre of a bigger legal and commercial fight over how music should be used to train AI systems. Suno is already facing lawsuits from major labels including Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, and Believe’s stance suggests distributors are becoming more willing to act before the courts settle the issue. Ladegaillerie has argued that the future of AI in music is not a ban, but a licensed model that rewards artists when their work is part of the training process. For independent creators, the message is increasingly clear: AI may be welcome, but only if the rights are in order.
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Source: Noah Wire Services