AI-generated music now accounts for nearly 44% of new tracks uploaded daily to Deezer, totaling around 75,000 songs each day. This volume has increased sevenfold in just over a year, dramatically expanding the platform's catalog. However, these AI tracks attract only 1% to 3% of actual listens, creating a significant imbalance between supply and listener demand.
This surge in AI content is diluting the streaming revenue pool for human artists. With fixed subscription fees distributed based on share of total streams, the massive influx of low-listened AI music reduces the per-stream payout for all creators. Industry experts warn this trend could undermine the economic sustainability for professional musicians unless streaming platforms adjust their royalty models.
Deezer has begun implementing changes, such as demonetizing non-artist functional content like white noise, but AI-generated music presents a more complex challenge. The platform is exploring solutions, including potential tagging or separate categorization for AI tracks, to ensure fair compensation for human creativity. Other major services like Spotify are also grappling with this issue as generative AI tools make music production increasingly accessible.