Bandcamp bans AI-generated music: "We’re putting human creativity first"

Bandcamp has banned music created using AI tools from being sold on its platform.

In a statement published on January 13, the music distribution service announced that it would be "fortifying its mission" around AI-generated music so that musicians can "keep making music, and so that fans have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans".

Read this next: Bandcamp Friday returns after previous edition raised US$3.2 million for independent artists

The policy states that any music generated "wholly or in a substantial part" by AI tools is not permitted on the platform, while any use of the technology to imitate artists or styles is "strictly prohibited" as part of its "existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property infringement."

Bandcamp has instructed users to report any music found on the platform that is suspected to have been created using AI tools, adding that it "reserves the right to remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated."

Read this next: 97% of people “can’t tell the difference” between AI and human-made music, study finds

"We believe that the human connection found through music is a vital part of our society and culture," Bandcamp's statement reads, adding that "music is much more than a product to be consumed. It’s the result of a human cultural dialog stretching back before the written word."

"With this policy, we’re putting human creativity first, and we will be sure to communicate any updates to the policy as the rapidly changing generative AI space develops," it continues.

You can read Bandcamp's full statement, entitled Keep Bandcamp Human, here.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X