As generative AI slop takes over our social media feeds, there’s hope that some things remain sacred and human-made, like music.
However, songs developed by generative AI have made their way to streaming services, prompting Spotify to change its AI policy to address the issue. Then there’s a major record label – Warner Music Group – partnering with generative AI platform Suno, and Australia’s federal government rejecting a text and data mining exception for AI companies.
Generative AI has become a hot-button topic in the music industry. Still, it’s not often that a leader of the industry makes a public statement that fans can actually interact with. Enter the official Bandcamp account that posted on the Bandcamp Reddit about their stance on AI-generated music on the platform.
“Hope you all enjoyed the Holiday Guide (bandcamp.com/2025) and your 2025 Bandcamp recaps. Something that always strikes us as we put together a roundup like this is the sheer quantity of human creativity and passion that artists express on Bandcamp every single day,” the statement reads.
“The fact that Bandcamp is home to such a vibrant community of real people making incredible music is something we want to protect and maintain.”
Pursuing that goal, Bandcamp decided to “articulate” its policy on generative AI. “We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans,” the statement continues.
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Bandcamp then laid out its guidelines for generative AI uploaded to the platform, explaining that music or audio “generated wholly or in substantial part by AI” is not permitted, and use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or music styles is “strictly prohibited.”
The guidelines read:
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.
Listeners are advised that, if they come across music or audio they suspect was made “entirely or with heavy reliance” on generative AI, they should use Bandcamp’s reporting tools to flag the music for review. Bandcamp thus reserves the right to “remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated.”
Bandcamp will inform users when the policy is updated “as the rapidly changing generative AI space develops.”
Bandcamp has been a shining light for independent musicians looking for alternative ways to monetise their music through independent physical and digital sales – particularly in a market where streaming revenues are difficult to scale for smaller artists.
Their ‘Bandcamp Fridays’ promotion, which gives 100% of revenue to artists, and other artist-friendly features have created a special place in the hearts of indie musicians for the Bandcamp brand, not to mention the ability to buy high-quality digital music in FLAC and WAV formats.
