Max HeyraudBandcamp has introduced a new policy prohibiting AI-generated music and audio from its platform, in a move the company says is aimed at protecting independent artists and “putting human creativity first”.
According to the guidelines, any music, “generated wholly or in substantial part by AI,” will no longer be allowed, as announced in a blog post titled “Keeping Bandcamp Human.” Additionally, the regulations expressly prohibit using AI to mimic or replicate the styles of other artists. Through Bandcamp’s reporting tools, users are encouraged to report any suspected AI-generated content; however, the platform retains the right to remove any content that it deems to be in violation.
The new guidelines are presented as an extension of Bandcamp’s long-standing goal of providing direct support to musicians so that fans can be confident that humans truly create the music they discover. The company justified the change by citing the “sheer quantity of human creativity and passion that artists express on Bandcamp every single day.”
The announcement clearly supports artist-driven content in the digital era and places Bandcamp as one of the first platforms to outright ban AI-generated music, as opposed to Spotify and SoundCloud, which have focused on labelling, disclosure, and moderation rather than implementing a full prohibition.
