[Purple vinyl record on black and white table. Photo Credit to Unsplash]

AI is quickly becoming part of how music is made, with nearly 40% of new songs analysed by music promotion platform SubmitHub now using the technology, signaling that AI-generated music has transitioned from novelty to mainstream. 

The rapid spread of AI music is raising difficult questions for the music industry, such as who owns a song made with a machine, who gets paid, and whether listeners have a right to know what they are hearing.

SubmitHub analysed more than one million releases in July and found that 23.2% were fully AI-generated, while another 15.3% contained AI audio that had been edited by humans.

The study also revealed that 31% of artists whose music was flagged as containing AI claimed they had not used it. 

French streaming service Deezer reported receiving about 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks per day in June 2026, which accounted for more than half of all new uploads.

Moreover, distinguishing between AI-generated music and human-made music is not easy. 

A Deezer survey revealed that 97% of participants could not distinguish AI music from songs made by humans. 

The trend also reached South Korea’s largest music streaming service, Melon.

“Have You Become the Adult You Dreamed Of?”, released in June 2026 by music creator Meomuru, climbed up to No. 3 on Melon’s Top 100 chart in October, competing directly with major K-pop acts. 

While the song’s planning, lyrics and production were done by a human, its vocals were created using the AI music program Suno.

Many listeners admitted they had not realized the singer was not real, and some called for clearer labeling of AI music.

Similar breakthroughs have happened in the United States, where AI artist Xania Monet became the first AI act to earn enough airplay to appear on a Billboard radio chart. 

The music industry’s response has evolved from fighting AI to partnering with it.

However, legal battles persist, with major record labels filing lawsuits against AI music companies Suno and Udio in June 2024, alleging unauthorized training on copyrighted songs. 

Since then, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have settled with Udio, and Warner settled with Suno in November 2025, allowing the startup to launch licensed AI models.

CEO of Warner Robert Kyncl sstated that the deal allowed the company to “shape models that expand revenue and deliver new fan experiences.”

While Spotify labels recommendations that are provided by AI, Bandcamp has completely banned AI-made music. 

In Korea, platforms such as Melon have not yet implemented clear marking for AI music, though YouTube Music began introducing AI labels in October. 

Meanwhile, more than 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Stevie Wonder, have signed an open letter urging AI companies to stop using copyrighted music with no permission. 

As AI music continues to grow, many in the industry say transparency will be key, says the founder of SubmitHub Jasonn Grishkoff, “I think the path forward for AI music is disclosure.”

With lawsuits still ongoing and labeling rules still taking shape, the question is no longer whether AI can make music that people want to hear, but how the industry will adapt to it.