Majority in Netherlands want labels for AI-generated music
A growing share of people in the Netherlands want music made with artificial intelligence clearly labeled on streaming platforms, while broader survey results also show rising preference for human-made music, older songs, and physical vinyl records, according to the NVPI Muziekmonitor 2026 released on June 24, 2026. The findings highlight two parallel developments: stronger resistance to AI-generated music and a continued shift toward “authentic” and physical listening experiences.
The survey, based on 2,000 respondents aged 13 and older and conducted via GfK, found that 78% of Dutch residents now consider it important that music is made by a real person. That is up from 71% in 2025 and 68% in 2024 and compares with 59% who expressed the same preference two years ago in earlier measurements. At the same time, more than three-quarters of respondents say AI-generated music should be clearly labeled on streaming services.
Eva de Vroome, spokesperson for NVPI, said the trend reflects a broader demand for authenticity in music consumption.
“The need for authenticity appears strong based on other research results,” she said. “And that may again be related to the flood of AI songs on streaming platforms.”
The report comes as AI-generated music expands rapidly across streaming services. The platform Deezer estimates that about 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks are uploaded every day, accounting for nearly half of all daily uploads. Spotify has not disclosed the share of AI music in its catalog but recently introduced a green checkmark system to distinguish verified human artists from AI-generated content.
Michiel Laan, commercial director at BumaStemra, which manages copyright for composers, lyricists, and music publishers, said labeling is essential.
“Transparency is important. People must know what they are listening to and have a right to honest information,” he said.
Laan added that AI is now the central topic in contract discussions with streaming platforms, which are renewed every two years to reflect technological change. While some platforms are willing to adapt, others are more cautious. Deezer is already labeling AI-generated music and investigating submissions for synthetic content in cooperation with rights organizations.
BumaStemra also works with Deezer to review music submissions and identify AI-generated material. “What we get back is that a song was, for example, made by Suno, after which we start conversations with the person who submitted it,” Laan said. He added that European regulation may be needed to require transparency about how AI systems are trained, calling current conditions unclear and uneven.
Laan said France is ahead within Europe on regulatory steps in this area. Survey results also show differences in resistance by age and genre. While opposition to AI music is present across all age groups, it is slightly lower among teenagers aged 13 to 17. From age 18 upward, differences between age groups largely disappear, with a majority in all categories preferring human creators. Resistance is lower in hip-hop, R&B, dance, and electronic music, where computer-based production is already common. The strongest opposition appears among listeners of jazz and classical music.
The Muziekmonitor also highlights continued demand for physical music formats. Nearly one-third of Dutch households own a record player, with men more likely to own one than women (28% compared with 17%). Vinyl purchases are mostly made in physical stores and markets (73%), while 27% are bought online, and about half of buyers purchase secondhand records. One estimate in the report also places online vinyl sales at around 25%.
Vinyl remains closely tied to nostalgia. About 61% of respondents say they prefer listening to older music rather than newly released tracks, and more than 60% say streaming recommendations do not determine their listening choices, with only 18% saying algorithms shape what they hear. Around 68% of respondents report attending concerts, mainly to see favorite artists.
Daan Bos, a researcher at NVPI, said the findings point to a broader cultural shift.
“In many results, we see a longing for autonomy, authenticity, and the familiar. That fits within a broader trend of growing nostalgia in the Netherlands. We want to decide for ourselves what we listen to, and we prefer the human artist we know. We want music we can hold, which we also want to choose in a physical store,” he said.
He added, “The more we live online and AI rises, the more we want to experience something real. That is also positive news for artists. The more fans they have, the more they earn, instead of ‘fake artists’ taking over that income.”