Qobuz now displays a badge for music identified as AI-generated

Qobuz now displays a badge in its app for music identified as generated by artificial intelligence, the platform announces in its press release of 24 September 2026. The indicator makes this classification visible to subscribers as they choose what to listen to.

The platform had announced an internally developed detection system on 26 February 2026, following the publication of its artificial intelligence charter earlier that month. In an interview published by TechRadar on 30 July 2026, Dan Mackta explained that displaying the badge to users was still awaiting a September rollout. Detection therefore preceded the information shown to listeners.

Qobuz specifies in its charter updated in September 2026 that the badge applies to an album. It indicates the presence of content identified as AI-generated in that album, without certifying the origin of each of its tracks.

Qobuz excludes albums identified as AI-generated from editorial and algorithmic recommendations as well as ordinary search results, as stated in its charter. The albums can still be found when their title is searched for directly. For subscribers, the classification therefore also changes opportunities to discover an album, beyond the information provided by the badge.

Qobuz also says it is integrating a standardized declaration of AI-generated content submitted by rights holders, so that this content can be identified automatically when declared. This ongoing integration is a separate project from the announced badge.

Qobuz’s figures measure streams

Qobuz states in its press release that 0.38% of all streams on its platform are of tracks identified as AI-generated. This figure measures a share of streams; the proportion of the catalogue classified as AI-generated is a different measure. The company’s data are presented without a detailed measurement period or raw totals. Discovery filtering also plays a part in interpreting this result. Inferring from this percentage alone that listeners reject AI music would go beyond what it can establish.

Of the streams of these tracks identified as AI-generated, Qobuz considers 60% fraudulent and excludes them from royalty payments. A track’s classification as AI-generated and streaming fraud are two distinct classifications. An AI badge therefore does not constitute evidence of fraud.

An artist can contact their distributor if there is an error

In its charter, Qobuz distinguishes AI that assists a human artist, for example with mixing, mastering or composition, from industrial production without human creative input. The company acknowledges that detection can be imperfect, particularly when human input is partial.

Qobuz’s charter states that an artist who believes their album has been incorrectly labelled can contact their distributor, who is responsible for handling the request.