Learn — By WATMM Desk —
Distributors and AI music: who asks you to disclose, who bans, who caps uploads (tracker)
A living table of what DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, LANDR, Horus Music and InterSpace say in their own help pages about AI-generated music: whether you must disclose it at upload, whether they refuse it, and what limits apply. Each row cites the page we read and the date we read it.
Key facts
- TuneCore distributes GenAI music only if the model was trained on fully licensed datasets, and says this applies even if AI was used at any point in making a track.
- CD Baby says it does not accept "music generated in whole or in part by AI, even when you have a license."
- LANDR caps AI-generated tracks at 20 or 60 per account per month depending on plan, and requires disclosure at upload.
This is a living table of what music distributors say, in their own help pages, about AI-generated music. It answers three questions per distributor: do they ask you to disclose it, do they refuse it, and what limits apply. Every row cites the page we read and the date we read it. Where a page gives no date of its own, we say so.
This is the other half of our streaming platforms tracker. Stores decide how to label and pay AI music; distributors decide whether it reaches the stores at all, and what you have to tick on the way in.
The table
| Distributor | Asks you to disclose? | Refuses AI music? | Limits | Source (read) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DistroKid | Yes. The upload form asks whether any of the track was AI-generated; if yes, you pick lyrics, music, all of the audio or part of the audio. "All of the audio" adds a question on whether the artist is a human or an AI persona. Credits can be added or changed after upload | No outright ban on its AI credits pages | None stated on these pages. Credits are not needed for pitch correction, AI-assisted mixing or mastering, or AI-assisted workflows. DistroKid says Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube show its AI credits to listeners | What are AI credits (updated 20 Oct 2026), How to fill out AI credits (updated 25 Aug 2026), read 29 Oct 2026 |
| TuneCore | Its framework page does not describe an upload question | Yes, by tool: "TuneCore only distributes music created using GenAI models trained on fully licensed datasets." This applies "if GenAI is used at any point in the creation of a track" | Names Google Flow Music as an approved partner; says more will follow. Believe (TuneCore's parent) blocked tracks from Suno's then-current models from 30 Apr 2026, then signed a Suno deal on 8 Sep 2026 that covers only Suno's new licensed model | TuneCore framework (updated 29 Oct 2026); MBW, April; MBW, September, read 29 Oct 2026 |
| CD Baby | Not addressed on the pages we read | Yes: does not accept "music generated in whole or in part by AI, even when you have a license." Downtown's policy, which covers CD Baby, also bans AI content "which mimics popular artists" | Submitting prohibited AI material "can lead to removal" or CD Baby no longer doing business with your content | Understanding production sounds (updated 26 Oct 2026), Downtown content policy (updated 4 Sep 2026), read 29 Oct 2026 |
| LANDR | Yes: "you must disclose during the upload process if your release contains AI-generated elements"; no documents needed up front | No ban on AI-assisted music; no AI-generated cover songs | 20 AI tracks a month on Basic, Mobile, ALC and Studio Mobile/Essentials; 60 on Pro, Distribution + Mastering and Studio Standard/Pro. Uses detection. Lists YouTube Content ID, Meta, TikTok, Deezer, Lissen, Pandora and Tencent as not accepting AI-generated music | LANDR help (updated 28 Oct 2026), read 29 Oct 2026 |
| Horus Music | Yes: you must identify "which part of the musical work features the AI technology," in the metadata | Distribution: no, if conditions are met. Publishing: "100% AI Generated Works" not accepted | No AI-assisted or AI-generated works to Content ID platforms (YouTube, Meta, SoundCloud, TikTok). You need a licence for the AI tool | Horus AI policy (no date on page), read 29 Oct 2026 |
| InterSpace | Yes, "if asked": says some stores now ask distributors to flag AI use, and a wrong answer can mean a hold or a later rejection | "AI-assisted production is fine"; bans voice cloning, impersonation and mass-generated catalogues | Says a release that passes its checks can still be actioned by a store | InterSpace help (no date on page), read 29 Oct 2026 |
"Not addressed" means the pages we read don't say. It doesn't mean the distributor has no rule. We left out distributors where we could only find third-party summaries; several of those disagree with each other, which is part of why this page exists.
Three things the table shows
There are now three kinds of rule, and they test different things. DistroKid and LANDR ask how much AI is in the track and pass that on. TuneCore asks which tool made it and whether that tool's training data was licensed. CD Baby asks whether AI generated any of it at all. Our reading: the same track, made with the same tool, can be fine at one, conditional at another and refused at a third. Pick your distributor knowing which test you will face.
"In part" is doing a lot of work. CD Baby's line is "in whole or in part." TuneCore's is "at any point in the creation." DistroKid explicitly carves out AI-assisted mixing, mastering and pitch correction. Neither CD Baby nor TuneCore spells out on these pages whether an AI mastering pass or an AI-separated stem counts. Until they do, we would ask support in writing before uploading anything borderline, and keep the reply.
The store list is shrinking under the distributor. LANDR names seven outlets that won't take AI-generated music, and Horus blocks all AI-involved work from Content ID. So "accepted by my distributor" no longer means "on every store." If social video income or Content ID claims matter to you, check this before you pick the tool, not after.
What we think
Distributor rules are now stricter, and more varied, than the stores they feed. Our streaming tracker shows most big stores still accept AI music and label it; here, one distributor refuses it outright and another filters by training data. For an independent artist that makes the distributor the real gatekeeper, and switching distributors is slow and can cost you your stream history on some stores.
Our advice: disclose honestly wherever you're asked, keep a short record of which tools touched each track, and treat TuneCore's licensed-model rule as a preview. Our guess is that a tool's training data, not the share of AI in the audio, becomes the main question more distributors ask. That is our inference from the Believe and TuneCore moves, not something any other distributor has announced.
We will re-read every page in this table on each weekly refresh and log changes in the changelog above.
Sources
- What Are AI Credits?, DistroKid Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- How to Fill Out AI Credits, DistroKid Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- TuneCore's GenAI Music Content Framework, TuneCore Support (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Understanding production sounds, CD Baby Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Downtown Music Content Policy Rules, CD Baby Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Does LANDR accept AI-generated tracks?, LANDR Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- AI Policy for Distribution, Horus Music (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Does InterSpace distribute AI-generated music?, InterSpace Help Center (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Believe and TuneCore are blocking distribution of generative AI tracks made on 'pirate studios' like Suno, Music Business Worldwide. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Suno inks global licensing deal with Believe, Music Business Worldwide. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
Researched with AI assistance, written and checked by WATMM Desk.
Change log
- : First version: six distributors, all help pages read 29 Oct 2026 (DistroKid pages read through the help centre API because the pages block automated readers).