Electronic music has always been at the forefront of technology, and as the world’s largest independent digital distribution partner for electronic music labels, LabelWorx has grown alongside that evolution.
From drum machines and samplers to DAWs and plugins, the genre's history is one of producers taking new tools and using them to make something of their own. AI is the latest of these tools, and we’re already seeing it being used thoughtfully to assist with the creative process.
However, unlike the tools that came before it, AI can now produce a finished track with no human creative input at all. Every previous technology in electronic music expanded what a producer could do, but this one can replace the creative process entirely. Worse still, many of the models behind it have been trained on the work of human artists without their knowledge or consent.
Our Stance on AI
Music generated without meaningful creative input takes up space across the digital music ecosystem, making genuine releases harder to find on both streaming and download stores.
On streaming platforms, it also competes for a share of the same royalty pool, diverting revenue away from real producers, labels and songwriters. Platforms are recognising this threat and have already begun implementing policies to combat it.
Authorship and creative intent are what give music its value. We recognise that a fictional persona can be a genuine creative project, with real human direction and development behind it, but that is undermined when generated content is produced at volume or spread across multiple non-existent artist profiles to create the appearance of a diverse roster.
This is where we believe the industry as a whole has a responsibility to take a position. Whether it’s fully AI-generated music, catalogue created at volume, or manufactured artist identities, LabelWorx will not provide a route to market for content that exists to undermine the digital music ecosystem rather than contribute to it.
Our position is not about resisting innovation, but about protecting the conditions that allow genuine creativity to thrive.
What We Accept
- Fully human-created music.
- Human-created music that uses AI tools in assistance of the production process (sound design, mixing, mastering assistance, stem separation, arrangement ideas).
- AI-assisted work where a named artist is responsible for the creative decisions and the finished record.
- Genuinely developed AI artist personas that represent distinct, intentionally developed creative projects, with a consistent artistic identity and genuine human creative direction.
What We Do Not Accept
- Fully or majority AI-generated tracks with no identifiable artist or creative input ("AI slop").
- Catalogue built or padded with generated content to increase stream counts, playlist placements, payout share, or downloads.
- Content that imitates the voice, style, or likeness of a real artist without their permission.
- Releases that misrepresent how they were made, to us or to the DSPs.
- Fabricated or disposable artist personas created to distribute generated content at scale or make a generated catalogue appear to represent multiple artists.
Your Responsibilities as a Label
Labels are ultimately responsible for understanding and declaring how the music they distribute has been created.
When signing tracks, you should incorporate AI disclosure requirements into your agreements with artists and licensors, and take the following steps to ensure that the music you distribute meets the standards expected by LabelWorx and our DSP partners:
- Ask artists and licensors to disclose AI usage, distinguishing between AI-assisted production and AI-generated content.
- Confirm that meaningful human creative input is involved and that recordings comply with our AI content policy.
- Verify that the necessary rights and permissions are held, particularly where AI-generated elements imitate existing artists or recordings.
- Maintain accurate records of these declarations so they can be provided to LabelWorx upon request.
- Disclose any relevant AI usage when adding details to tracks and uploading artwork.
We may request supporting information from labels or their licensors. Releases may be delayed, rejected, or removed if this information cannot be provided or the content does not meet our policy.
Going Forward…
AI is rapidly evolving and the industry's response to it is still forming. We will keep reviewing this position as DSP policy, legislation, and the tools themselves develop.
Whatever changes, LabelWorx’s priority will remain the same: protecting the value of human creativity and the independent electronic music community built around it.