Apple Music is flagging AI slop before Spotify has even started — but there's a catch
Apple puts its trust into the hands of record labels
· TechRadarNews By Rowan Davies published 5 March 2026
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- Apple Music is rolling out its own system for flagging AI-generated music
- 'Transparency Tags' will focus on visual elements as well as music composition
- The catch is that the responsibility lies with record labels and distributors
The war between AI and the best music streaming services continues, and Apple Music could be next to storm the battlefield with its own AI music tagging system.
Dubbed ‘Transparency Tags’, Apple’s flagship music platform is tipped to roll out a new metadata system to help identify AI-generated and AI-assisted music. This was revealed in a newsletter sent out to industry partners on March 4, but there’s one big caveat that seems quite contradictory — the tagging responsibility lies with record labels and distributors.
Before content is submitted to Apple Music, record labels and distributors will have the option to disclose whether AI has been used during the production process, a method that Apple is implementing to increase transparency on how companies use AI in music production. The system will focus on four creative aspects.
The first is the music itself, or the ‘Track’ tag, which will be used to show if AI has contributed to a material portion of the audio recording. This tag is at the track-level only. On a similar note, the ‘Composition’ tag will be used to highlight that AI was used in a material portion of the music composition, and also flags AI-generated lyrics.
But Apple Music is taking it a step further with Transparency Tags that have a visual focus. As well as audio tags, Apple Music is rolling out an ‘Artwork’ tag that, as its name implies, flags AI-generated static and motion imagery used on the cover of an album or single. The ‘Music Video’ tag is similar, applying to visual components to albums and standalone videos.
Though the newsletter has been limited to the eyes of industry partners, Music Business World shared an excerpt from the announcement; “Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI”, the outlet starts. “We believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI.”
Despite the information we have so far, Apple hasn’t disclosed when Transparency Tags will roll out, however we’ve reached out for further comment and will update this story if we find out more. It’s not surprising to see that Apple Music is taking initiative before Spotify has even started, but its frustrating loophole is all a bit ‘one step forward, two steps back’.
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