The Sound of Transparency: Why AI Music Labels Matter

Even for Platforms That Say No to AI

When a retro-pop band called The Velvet Sundown racked up a million monthly listeners on Spotify earlier this year with catchy hooks and nostalgic sound, music fans were captivated. There was just one problem: the band wasn't real - every song, image, and backstory had been generated using AI.

This digital deception has sparked a crucial conversation about transparency in streaming - one that goes to the heart of what The Pack Music Co-operative stands for.

Why This Matters to Us (Even Though We've Already Chosen Our Path)

The Pack's position on AI music is unambiguous: we will feature only original, human-created music from unsigned and independent musicians. We're not waiting for industry standards or gradual transitions. We've drawn our line in the sand from day one.

But the push for AI disclosure labels across the broader music industry isn't just relevant to us - it validates everything we've been saying about the importance of authenticity, transparency, and putting creative power back in human hands. And we were saying this well before AI music became a real threat to our creative futures.

The Industry Wakes Up (Finally)

In September 2025, Spotify announced it would support a new industry standard for AI disclosures in music credits, developed through DDEX. It might have felt to some like corporate housekeeping, but to us it was an admission that listeners have a right to know what they're hearing and who (or what) created it. And they bloody well do.

The DDEX standard allows for detailed disclosures about specific AI uses - whether for vocals, instrumentation, or post-production - rather than forcing tracks into a binary categorisation. It acknowledges that AI in music exists on a spectrum.

For platforms like The Pack, this industry shift is both vindication and warning: vindication that our insistence on human creativity wasn't naïve idealism, and warning that without clear standards, the line between human and algorithmic creation will become impossibly blurred.

Learning from Canada's Playbook

The proposed AI labelling system draws inspiration from Canada's MAPL system, which has strengthened the domestic music industry for decades by requiring radio stations to play a minimum percentage of Canadian music based on specific criteria.

This parallel resonates deeply with The Pack's model. Just as MAPL created visibility and support for Canadian artists, The Pack intends to use geo-fencing technology to stream tracks made locally to listeners and businesses, leading to discovery of local, original musicians and realised exposure at local gigs and events.

Both systems recognise that transparency and intentional support structures are necessary to counter the overwhelming dominance of mainstream, algorithmically-driven discovery.

The Real Stakes: Artists' Livelihoods

A study commissioned by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers warns that generative AI could put 24 percent of music creators' revenues at risk by 2028 - a staggering figure for an industry where most independent musicians already struggle.

At The Pack, we've always understood this threat. Our business model uses a 1:1 creator-consumer model, meaning each subscription goes directly to the artists that a member has streamed, and guarantees artists 70% of revenues forever. We don't just talk about fair pay - we've engineered it into our cooperative structure.

While major platforms debate how to label AI content, we've eliminated the question entirely: every track on The Pack will be human-made, human-curated, and human-valued.

Human Curation vs. Algorithmic Sludge

The Pack will also feature human curation where community curators shape playlists that celebrate local music and elevate underrepresented voices. No black-box algorithms.

Major platforms now acknowledge that AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push "slop" into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers. At The Pack, we recognised this risk from the get-go and built our entire platform around preventing it.

When streaming platforms struggle to determine how much information should be shared with listeners about AI contributions, we've already answered the question: 100% human creativity, 100% transparency, 100% of the time.

More Than a Label: A Commitment

The proposed industry-wide labelling system would let listeners see at a glance how human and algorithmic contributions combine in a track, embedded in the digital song file to help fans and arts organisations discover and support music based on the kind of creativity behind it.

This is precisely what The Pack offers - but not through labels or disclaimers. Our entire platform IS the label.

When you stream on The Pack, you will know:

• It's unsigned and independent artists only

• It's original, human-created music

• Musicians retain full rights to their work, data, and creative decisions

• The cooperative structure ensures revenue flows back to the community, not shareholders

You don't need to read the fine print or decode disclosure icons. The Pack IS the disclosure.

Why Transparency Isn't Optional

As AI's influence in music creation continues to expand, listeners deserve to know how the sounds they love are made - and artists deserve the chance to explain it.

But here's what the major platforms still seem to don't fully grasp: transparency isn't just about disclosure. It's about building systems that value human creativity from the ground up. It's about putting power back into the hands of those who create and consume music, where revenue follows listening, data stays in artists' hands, and major shareholders can't override our values.

The industry's move toward AI labelling is a step in the right direction. But it's playing catch-up to a problem that cooperative, community-owned platforms like The Pack solved from day one by choosing a different path entirely.

The Choice We've Already Made

While mainstream platforms debate how to label AI music, The Pack has made a simpler, more radical choice: let’s just not stream it at all. Our commitment to authentic connections between musicians, listeners and businesses means that every play, every payment, every playlist interaction involves real people making real art.

Ultimately, it's about giving listeners a choice. A clear, well-designed labelling system could help audiences understand the many ways AI now shapes music - and that choice matters. But what if the choice was even clearer? What if you could stream knowing that 100% of what you hear is human creativity, supporting unsigned artists who retain full ownership of their work?

That's not a future promise at The Pack. That's our present reality. What we’re building. Why we need your help.

As the music industry grapples with how to label AI content, we're focused on something more fundamental: creating a space where the question never needs to be asked. Where the relationship between artist and listener is direct, fair, and unapologetically human.

The industry is finally learning what The Pack has known from the beginning: in music, authenticity isn't negotiable. And when it comes to supporting real artists making real art, there's no substitute for the genuine article.

The Pack Music Co-operative is a member-owned streaming platform featuring only original, human-created music from unsigned musicians. Learn more at packmusic.au