In Vietnam, from July 1, 2026, when Decree 134/2026/ND-CP takes effect, cafes and restaurants using music for business activities must fulfill the obligation to pay copyright fees. In that context, AI music without authors and without incurring copyright costs becomes an attractive option for many business owners.
Operating a business facility costs a lot of money, and using music is almost mandatory when selling goods. However, playing music is not a factor that attracts customers to come and use our services. Therefore, AI music can be a "savior" for business people," shared Mr. Dinh Cong Son, owner of a game and coffee business in Hanoi. Indeed, music created by artificial intelligence was once considered a technological experiment, and is now becoming an increasingly large part of the digital content supply and causing no small impact on artists in the music industry around the world.
Who was harmed in the AI music flood
Figures from the Deezer platform show that the development speed of AI music is far exceeding expectations. In April 2026, the platform said it received about 75,000 songs created by AI every day, accounting for 44% of the total uploaded songs, equivalent to more than 2 million songs per month. This means that nearly half of the new music supply on the platform no longer comes from musicians or performers.
It is noteworthy that the number of people actually listening to AI music accounts for only about 1-3% of the total number of streams. According to Deezer, up to 85% of the streams of AI songs are fraudulent in order to increase streams and withdraw money from the copyright fund.
This is the issue that worries the music community the most. Music listening platforms currently divide copyright revenue according to a distribution mechanism based on total listens. When AI music is mass-produced and inflated with fake playbacks, the revenue for real artists will be narrowed even though they do not lose direct listens. Each virtual playback takes away a part of the "cake" that is limited.
According to Forbes data, by May 2026, AI music had become a "fraudulent machine" with an estimated scale of up to 4 billion USD. The story is therefore no longer limited to debate about artistic quality, but has become a livelihood problem for thousands of independent musicians who depend on copyright revenue. Meanwhile, businesses choosing free AI playlists to avoid copyright costs also inadvertently creates more pressure on those who compose with their own labor.
Counter-attacking industry
Faced with the AI music wave, music streaming platforms began to build mechanisms to protect the copyright ecosystem, although each unit's approach is different.
Deezer became the first major platform to deploy AI music recognition and labeling technology. This system scans "handprints" left by music creation tools in audio files, automatically marking songs created by AI. These songs are not included in the editing playlist or suggestion system, and cheating listens are removed from the copyright payment mechanism. Deezer also commercializes this technology to provide to partners in the industry.
Apple Music chose to focus on handling listen fraud. According to Apple leaders, in 2025 the platform discovered and recovered about 2 billion fraudulent streams, mostly from AI music stores, and also recovered the wrongly paid royalties.
Spotify still pursues a more cautious approach. The platform said the fraudulent listen rate is below 1%, has removed about 75 million spam songs and deployed the "Verified by Spotify" badge for artists with real-world activity and authenticated interaction. However, Spotify has not yet announced an AI music recognition system similar to Deezer.
The common point of the platforms is that they do not seek to completely eliminate AI music. The goal is to increase transparency, clearly identify content created by AI and prevent cash flow from fraudulent listens. This is seen as a way to balance the acceptance of technology development with the requirement to protect the creative value and revenue of live artists in the AI era.
Unexisting "artists" are creeping into music streaming platforms, forcing technology companies and publishing units to find ways to protect real composers.
AI music accounts for 44% of the total number of songs uploaded, equivalent to more than 2 million songs per month, according to data released by the Deezer distribution platform.
