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Bandcamp bans AI music

The popular music-sharing platform has made an affirmative stance on generative AI.

Donovan Erskine

January 14, 2026 7:27 AM

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As AI becomes more and more prevalent in creative fields, one of the biggest platforms in the indie music space is taking a stance against the technology. Bandcamp has announced that it is banning AI-generated music moving forward.

Bandcamp posted a statement to its official subreddit to announce its update on AI. The new ban will apply to music and audio “generated wholly or in substantial part by AI.” Using AI to impersonate another artist or style is also prohibited.

Bandcamp encourages users to report any AI use that they stumble across, and state that they reserve the right to remove any music they suspect was created with generative AI. Bandcamp was acquired by Epic Games in 2023 and then sold to Songtradr in 2023.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_