When a listener hears a song, do they want to know who made it?

Listeners may be captivated by a song before knowing whether its voice or melody was created by a human or an artificial intelligence program, but a German poll indicates that many want to know: nearly two-thirds of respondents support clearly labeling AI-generated music.

The Allensbach Institute conducted the survey on behalf of the German Music Information Center through face-to-face interviews with 1,040 individuals aged 16 and older between July 3 and 16, 2026. The results were published on September 15, after which the German Music Council returned to discussing the findings on September 22, calling for transparency and fairness for musicians.

The desire for disclosure does not imply opposition to all uses of AI. Seventy-four percent of participants agreed that AI should be used to repair old or damaged recordings, while 15 percent considered it acceptable for producing a complete musical piece without human involvement. Additionally, 58 percent stated that musicians and composers should be compensated when their works are used to train AI systems.

Forty percent reported having consciously listened to AI-generated music. The responses draw a distinction between technology as a tool assisting artists and its use to generate an entire musical work—a distinction reaffirmed by representatives of the music industry in their recent commentary.