Bandcamp Bans AI-Generated Music, Prioritizing Artists and Authenticity

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Lacey Cohen is a lifelong student, writer, editor, music fanatic, and massive advocate for the Oxford Comma. She has been playing guitar for 16 years, boasts a 13-year-old Spotify library complete with playlists for just about any mood, and is well-versed in the language of nearly every genre of music. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in English and a minor in gender and health, and she graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in creative writing and publishing with a focus in prose writing. Lacey is currently based in Brooklyn, but she is a true and proud Michigander at heart.

As technology continues to advance at an increasingly rapid rate, it seems that generative AI isn't going away any time soon. Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Sora have become tools for the public to use to create their own videos, poetry, music, you name it. Never before have we seen such limitless accessibility in the arts, but more often than not, it comes at the expense of quality, thus leading to the term, "AI Slop."

If you take to just about any social media platform, you'll notice almost immediately that they're all riddled with AI Slop, particularly in the form of video shorts. As a result of this growing phenomenon, many artists have explicitly spoken out against the use of AI in the arts. Director Guillermo Del Toro explained that he'd sooner choose death than the use of generative AI in his art, and bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have pulled their entire catalog from Spotify due to the platform's ongoing investments in AI technology.

Not only are the artists speaking out against AI Slop in the arts, many users are beginning to migrate away from platforms that do not condemn the use of AI technology in the arts. With many users migrating away from Spotify due to their less than favorable policies on AI, the door is opening for other platforms. One such platform is Bandcamp, which has heard the concerns from users and artists alike, and has responded accordingly.

Bandcamp Bans AI-Generated Music Across The Platform

Bandcamp announced in a post on Reddit this week that they are banning any AI-generated music on the platform, stating, "Music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp. Any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with our existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property infringement."

Since it was first established in 2008, Bandcamp has been known as the platform that puts artists first. According to their website, when a user purchases something on Bandcamp, an average of 82% of that revenue goes directly to the artist. Of course, the measly payouts from major platforms like Spotify and Apple Music pale in comparison, very much endearing the platform to artists and fans alike.

The platform is the first of any streaming service to explicitly and fully ban AI-generated content, keeping with their mission to put the artists and their music first. It's unclear exactly how the platform will monitor and crack down on this policy, but the announcement certainly feels like a step in the right direction.

It remains to be seen whether other platforms will follow suit, but it does stand to reason that this could be the nail in the coffin for any users who are on the fence about migrating away from those other platforms, and towards Bandcamp, a platform that has made it clear that it will be waiting with open arms.