Our Ethos

At Traxsource, we've always put our love for house music above all else. In fact, we may be the last place on earth that elevates the actual music over hype, over trends, over followers and all the rest of the noise. This ethos has guided every decision we've made and continues to guide us as we confront the rise of AI in music creation which is clearly the most significant shift our community has faced.

We owe it to you, our artists, labels, DJs, and fans, to share where we stand.

The Polarized Landscape

We've spent the last months gathering survey data, and having 1 on 1 conversations with customers, top artists, labels and distributors in order to get a handle on the current landscape. The truth is, the conversation around AI in music is deeply polarized. On one hand, many passionately believe any use of AI is a threat to human artistry and devalues years dedicated to the craft. On the other, many view AI as simply the next evolution in a long line of tools that producers have always embraced to push creative boundaries.

We believe the issue is far more nuanced and requires an equally nuanced position.

All AI Use is NOT the same

It's a fact that house music was born out of technological innovation, and our community has always embraced advancements. But we also must recognize the difference between a production tool in the hands of a skilled human creator and a fully AI-generated song produced from a prompt. This distinction is at the heart of our position.

AI as a production tool: A producer uses AI to assist within a larger human-driven creative process. The artist controls the vision, the arrangement, the musical decisions and the emotion conveyed by the work. In principle, this is not dissimilar from using a synthesizer, a sampler, sample and MIDI packs, Auto-Tune, or the many other tools built into modern DAWs.

Fully AI-generated music: A person types a prompt into a generative AI platform and the system produces a complete song with no meaningful human creative input in the composition, arrangement, performance, or production. The output is the product of statistical pattern-matching across datasets of existing human-created work. In fact, the question of who wrote, owns, and is credited as the author of these works remains unresolved.

These are fundamentally different processes and which require different policies.

The Problem with AI Detection

Many platforms are reluctant to acknowledge that accurate detection of AI-generated music is not yet possible. Detection tools are improving, but still face significant limitations and remain extremely cost-prohibitive at scale. Add in today's hybrid workflow, which often blends human creativity with AI tools, and accurate detection is nearly impossible. Even the researchers building these systems acknowledge there is no 100% solution.

Any platform claiming foolproof AI detection is overstating what the technology can currently deliver. We choose transparency over false promises, both to avoid enforcement we cannot accurately execute and to protect human artists from being falsely accused.

Our Position

1. We champion human artistry. 
   The heart and soul of house music is human expression, and we will always prioritize and celebrate that. Traxsource is and will remain a home for music made by artists who pour their talent, experience, emotion, and identity into their work.
   
    
2. We are against fully AI-generated music on Traxsource. 
   We believe music created entirely through AI prompting where no meaningful human creative contribution exists does not belong on Traxsource. Our community deserves to know that the music they're buying, charting, and playing was made by real artists with real creative intent.
   
    
3. We acknowledge AI as a legitimate production tool. 
   If an artist or producer uses AI to assist with sound design, vocal processing, mastering, or creative experimentation, but the musical vision, composition, and artistic direction are their own, then we believe that is still their music.
   
    
4. We believe in transparency for our customers. 
   Given the current limitations of automated detection, our current approach must also be rooted in the honor system. We are working towards scanning each upload, and including a series of questions which will allow us to determine if a track is fully Human, fully AI, or AI Assisted and to what extent, providing the possibility of appropriately labeling each track in order to provide full transparency to our valued customers.
   
    

This will occur first for direct label accounts, and then roll out to distributors who are willing to adapt to this standard.

*If credible evidence emerges that a specific track has been misrepresented, we will investigate and may take further action to correct it.

1. We will adapt as the landscape evolves. 
   This is not a static issue, and our position will not be static either. AI technology, detection capabilities, industry standards, and legal frameworks are all evolving rapidly. We are committed to staying engaged with these developments. We support industry-wide efforts toward transparency and disclosure standards. And we will update our policies as the situation demands always with the best interests of our community at the center.

For the Love of House...

We know this topic stirs strong emotions on both sides and everywhere in between, and we hear you. Let's remember that house music has always been a culture built on inclusivity, innovation and passion. Let's work together to ensure house music can remain an authentic force for another 40 years or more.

Sincerely and with Respect,
Brian Tappert, Marc Pomeroy, Sheldon Prince and the entire team at Traxsource.

This position statement reflects Traxsource's current thinking and will be reviewed and updated as the AI landscape continues to develop. We welcome feedback from our community.

Source

This statement was originally published by Traxsource.
Reproduced with permission for editorial purposes by Little Big Groove Records.