As AI generates streaming and social media platforms flooding, could new paid classes be the key to separating human content from AI content?
The rise of music generated by AI: What happens next?
We live in an age of AI, and that reality is becoming impossible to ignore in every corner of the music industry. This week alone, songs generated by AI appeared in the profiles of artists who died on streaming services. This is the latest in a series of unsettling developments. From streaming fraud to fake artist profiles, generative AI is shifting the way content is created, distributed, and consumed. Ultimately, these developments spark more conversations about interactions between AI, real artists and streaming platforms.
Earlier this year, Deether revealed that an astounding 10% of the new music uploaded daily is being generated by AI, and that number has probably only increased since. In response, Deezer introduced an autotag that detects and labels tracks that are entirely AI-generated. However, that doesn’t necessarily solve the bigger issues while playing.
AI content issues
At this point, AI is inevitable and stays here. Luminate’s 2025 Midyear Music Report recently revealed that 44% of listeners are uncomfortable with AI creating whole new songs. However, its existence is not necessarily the only problem. It’s also about what happens when a huge amount of AI content begins to affect the quality of social media platforms and streaming services.
The focus here lies in AI slops – the terms used to describe low-efforded, low-quality content are output in large quantities to quickly earn revenue by gaming the system.
It creates a situation of loss. Listeners get frustrated because they don’t want to constantly flood in AI-generated tracks. Advertisers lose confidence in the value of placement on these platforms. On the other hand, the platform risks damaging the experience of users who have spent perfectly over the years.
At least that’s a discussion in a recent Midia Research blog post. Their focus has been on the integration of YouTube shorts with AI video generators such as Veo 2 and Veo 3, but the same principle applies to music. When tools become easier for anyone to create, more people often jump, so volume is prioritized over quality. result? A flood of filler content that makes quality difficult to shine.
What does this mean for music?
In the music industry, AI-Music generators like Suno make it easy for artists to generate content. Look at the recent emergence of Velvet’s sunset, an AI band that has already won millions of streams. Their success raises real questions as the music industry is seeking more stringent policing of AI music on streaming services. How do you protect real artists? How can you prevent high-quality music from being buried under an avalanche of AI content?
Of course, these platforms require new artists and new creators, but they also need to satisfy listeners, users and advertisers by providing quality services. Deezer tagging takes steps to address this, but tagging alone does not control what listeners have heard. That’s where the Midia ideas come into play.
Will the new subscription tier be the answer?
Midia suggests a fresh approach. Separate human and AI content into different layers. Again, their article focuses on social media platforms, but can also be easily applied to streaming services.
suggestion? A subscription tier that allows users to opt out of generated AI content completely. It doesn’t completely eliminate AI from the platform, but listeners have more options. Keep high quality, primarily human content in one paid tier and combine content with existing free tier. In effect, the current free layer remains the same, blending everything just like it is now.
This is how you can stream platforms and social media services to maintain quality and speak out about the type of content you want to be involved in.
Is it realistic?
Of course, there are hurdles. This idea appears to be reasonable in principle, but there remains a question as to whether the question works. Do users make extra payments to avoid AI? Do they suffer from losing their sense of control in the free layer? Can you disrupt the world of already troublesome subscription models?
However, platforms like YouTube will probably just add them to your existing subscription tier. Meanwhile, Spotify and other music streaming services can be introduced into future super premium services at launch/release.
Maybe that’s going to work. Otherwise, potential alternatives that will overwhelm the platform with AI-generated filler content may be bad. As quality continues to decline and users tune, the long-term risks are much greater.
Final Thoughts
As conversations continue around AI in content creation, the industry faces several major decisions. Either accept floods of AI content as a new normal, or take steps to ensure the platform has better tools and more control for its users.
Midya’s idea may not be the perfect solution, but it certainly offers interesting suggestions. For example, AI companies have not even addressed the issue of copyright infringement in order to use other work to train models without permission or compensation.
Still, if streaming platforms want to make listeners, artists and advertisers happy, providing more control over AI content can be a smart place.
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