The Real Reason Bandcamp BANNED AI Music But Spotify Doesn’t

1. 

   @linuxpatriot200

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   This is the first argument I’ve seen about AI music on Bandcamp being banned that actually holds up — and it has nothing to do with claims that the music was “stolen.”
   I’m a retired musician and engineer with a physical disability, and I like AI music. I make it, edit it, and share it. But liking something doesn’t mean ignoring how a platform actually works.
   Bandcamp only makes money when people buy music, and there’s no evidence either way, that AI music is being purchased.
   On top of that, there is no reliable way to objectively detect AI music at scale, so enforcement necessarily relies on subjective reports that can be wrong or abused.
   What’s funny is that the AI detection systems being used or created are relying on AI to detect AI music.

2. 

   @Econandcohorts

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   People have been buying AI music for decades, think pop, rap, hip hop. Beat loops, sound machines, autotune, the list is endless. Even in country & Rock genres, they use this stuff. People need to wake up & realize how much AI has been part of our lives starting around the 70s. Fully computer generated music has been around since the 80s.

3. 

   @Velkan4216

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   I like bandcamp and I like AI. I like this because I'm a person that likes things well organized and having separate platforms for both types of music is better in the long-term. I hope this is the way that it goes in the future.

   It just doesn't make sense to combind the two into one platform. It's like saying artwork and photography are the same. Yes they're both images but different. Often times but not always, art and photography are separate. That may not be the best example but you get the point.

   To me AI music is going to be like photography and traditional music is going to be like art done by hand. I have many decades of experience of being a hobby photography and that is the way AI feels to me. Easy to get started and take pictures but to master or get excellent high quality results will take lots of practice.

4. 

   @ravenblaze82

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   So,
   I found out that a well known artist and band used AI to generate a song then has recorded it themselves singing and playing the instruments. How is that going to be regulated either? Band camp needs to just throw in the towel. There is no way they can say 100% that anyone is using or isn't using AI.

5. 

   @TripWithTheMoon

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   At least they try or pretend to try. I loved streaming. I loved to get rid of most physical media. I loved that 'gimme more bands like …'. But AI killed it for me. Sad thing is, I stopped Autoplay and listening to Bands without Pre-AI-Releases. But then again, I'm visiting more Concerts and doing more offline stuff in general. It is what it is. Now I start to understand what it really feels like getting old 🤣

6. 

   @suoquainen

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   Yeah nice. That's what i wanted to see.

7. 

   @cosmic000bliss

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   I love AI but in this case AI is used just to produce spam and slop

8. 

   @bluehour1995

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   I hate to say this but….we are losing the war against the machines. T2 judgement day is coming. Hug your kids and make sure you have enough beef jerky and ammo.

9. 

   @brucelivolsi

   January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

   Nailed it!

10. 

    @Jtitor177

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Bancamp isn’t doing anything except turning their users into an online gestapo. Pathetic

11. 

    @LulzSecvirusinvader

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    To ban AI music is 👍… AI music is probably good, but human made music is also good. But i like Humans better

12. 

    @salgymbro7624

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I was already against AI generated cover albums, obviusly I'm completly against music made by AI.
    Music is art (specially metal music) so I hope no one makes any money with fake crap.
    Great topic and video.

13. 

    @ErikHawk

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I like how you think! This is an excellent analysis of the incentives baked into these two companies' business models. To summarize, follow the money! This same thought experiment can be applied to all of these business moves, including the most recent announcement of BeatStars acquiring Lemonaide. As usual, it's all about the money. Hopefully, the money and the support for real musicians can meet in one of these models… which definitely ain't Spotify.

14. 

    @thenecrosanct4906

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I'm probably in an even smaller bubble than the one you're referencing in your video, because I truly do not stream a-ny-thing. If I want to check something out I either go to Bandcamp or see if it's on YouTube. I've never used a streaming service, never paid for one, never even considered it and have no intention of using one either. If I like something and want it, I buy it. And if I don't have the funds for it… Well, just like in ye olden days, when I was perusing the shelves of music stores, then I simply don't have it. I put it on my wishlist to purchase at a later date. And I'm at peace with that. I don't need to have everything I want because I wasn't raised a spoiled, entitled brat that's needs to have everything right now. I can wait. Physical copies have always been the only way for me and it will remain so for the foreseeable future (i.e. the end of my life).

15. 

    @brianwright8135

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Spotify banning AI slop would be nice, GTFoutta here. But it'd be nice if I could just opt out, ensure I don't get this shit turning up if I'm not actively looking for it.

16. 

    @paladinminipedro707

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    My earlier comment. What i meant by pushing me to listen to ai music is this, the recommended songs that I, as the monthly subscriber, might be interested in (you know what I am talking about) after opening the app you see the recommendations and all of those has been 100% ai generated music for 3 weeks now.
    After watching this video it seems very certain that the higher ups of Spotify are the ai artists of these songs therefore as an artist they can make some money (from us subscribers who pay monthly) and if not the higher ups then definitely someone who works for Spotify is making bank.

17. 

    @paladinminipedro707

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Spotify has been pushing me to listen to songs that are ai. I noticed this when i look up the artists of these songs and the only description is the genre of music. Look up these bands and the members of the bands online has zero results of any name is another way of saying ai.
    AI is a way is a way for someone like me, who has zero musical talent, to make money from someone else's talent and that is so wrong.
    Mad respect for Bandcamp!!

18. 

    @barlow949

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    "Nobody buys mp3s anymore" – its me, im nobody. I own hundreds of dungeon synth tracks from Badcamp

19. 

    @sebastianpapstein

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Very good video, thank you.
    To be honest, I do not care for what reason Bandcamp banned AI music from their platform in the first place. What counts is that they did!
    I can imagine a lot of people were complaining to them that the amount of AI slop on BC has increased. I had AI music in my suggestions as well and really could not tell immediately it was not real music.
    The moment I realised, I looked for the "do not show me ai generated music", which I could not find. Wanted to write them a mail, but they already took action.

20. 

    @DaviCamachodosSantos-r5l

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I REALLY wanna switch to this app but the playlist transfer app I use isn't compatible with it. Any ideas, because I don't have the time to input over 2000 one by one

21. 

    @JustinK417

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I actually chuckled a bit when you said metal heads live in a bubble. It’s true though I don’t have a Spotify account but love Bandcamp especially Bandcamp Fridays with as more royalty’s going to the artist. Plus I am running out of room in my house for all the recorders and cds so digital Downloads make it easier to get the music I love most. 🤘

22. 

    @spinnymathingy3149

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I’ve never listened to a Bandcamp platform, but if it operates as I now understand where they don’t have an algorithm which actively promotes new or different music to me , then I wouldn’t want to use it, it’s incredible how much new (to me) music Spotify introduces me to .
    I NEED a regular supply of new-different music to feed my music appetite
    👍🇦🇺🤘
    Edit. Another feature on Spotify is that it pops up when bands I listen to are touring nearby, I saw 3 bands last year that otherwise I wouldn’t have known would be in town

23. 

    @Jay-ef2ii

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Ai music is a modern day Napster. Human Artists should be suing these companies for stealing {copyright infringement}. 2026

24. 

    @__414.88b_

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    W

25. 

    @TheUnbeingPulse

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    I wonder what Tidal's policy is? I'm sure I've found some AI bands on there, and some of them seem to be impersonating as well.

26. 

    @bv728

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    They've been sold off a few times since, but Bandcamp executives have previously talked about how they don't really intend to be in the streaming business and that they approach themselves primarily as a storeplatform for artists, and I've found that generally explains a lot of their decisions. They want to keep artists happy and releasing on Bandcamp, and they want to make consumers buy from Bandcamp instead of Amazon or iTunes, and they've resisted the ongoing push for enshitification as part of those goals.

27. 

    @Singularismetal

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Here's my white pill: AI is a fad that will slowly fade from mainstream media. People are already quite privvy to it if you spend time on social media. A lot of people see right through it(still a minority, I know) and if you look at the numbers, some of the biggest AI companies are losing so much money that it's completely unsustainable. Even with taxpayer funded bailouts, these companies won't be able to keep up for long, and as we see today with a lot of people making a stand against Spotify, social media, ai and predatory technology in general, I can definitely see a future within the next decade or 2 where this type of soulless slop will be shamed and looked down upon as people start to crave something they haven't already heard. Look at rap music for example. One of the most popular genres of the past 20 years, only pop music exceeds it in scale. Rap music has been in quite the decline in the mainstream as there has been a lack of unique artists introducing new sounds. The SoundCloud era brought in a bunch of new artists who sounded nothing like those who came before them but almost all of those artists have fallen off. If I'm not mistaken, last year was the first time since the 90s where the billboard 100 did t have a single hip hop song.

    My point is, it might take some time, but I think people will eventually get sick of the ai slop, just as they have even with pop music or rap music. Almost nobody is willing to listen to the same exact thing for 20 years. Even the people who are the least artistically inclined get bored of recycled music.

    AI will always exist in some capacity as it is a massively useful tool for humanity when it comes to technology, medical science, disease research, stuff like that, but I don't think the whole generative AI thing is going to last for a very long time

28. 

    @stevenscharmer1765

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    To support bands, I only use Bandcamp. If a band is unavailable on Bandcamp, I'll purchase their CD's. And if neither of those options are available, I'll listen to an album (with ads) on YouTube. No streaming for me, except on Bandcamp to check out bands, and then purchase and stream on the Bandcamp app. Thanks for the in-depth, Jon! 💪🎸

29. 

    @MUSICORECLUB

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Bandcamp is going to be the next big thing

    🤣🤣🤣🤣 the "Blocbuster" of video, the "Columbia" of music 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    We all know how this is going to end 🫡🫡🫡

30. 

    @mysticoud47

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Spotify is evil. I hope everybody stops using it. I myself took my music down from there.

31. 

    @DNT87

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Spotify is definitely manufacturing their own AI artists to do exactly what you said in your “thought experiment”, I have no doubt in my mind, it’s just too easy for them not to. Love the channel John, much love 🤘

32. 

    @thomasjames6680

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    There are some genuinely great bands, old and new, on Bandcamp. And, in these times, when import costs can severely impact some physical media, of course people, even metalheads, listen to music through streaming first, before buying, and will buy digital. If physical is still not the best option, buying physical could still be an issue, even if the music is great, digital is still sometimes a good option. Nice that, even if for money reasons over moral ones, Bandcamp has effectively banned AI for now.
    If it weren't for digital I could not have had a fun time revisiting Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion for the first time in 30 years.

33. 

    @darrenferme1407

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Best thing about bandcamp is you get a digital copy & the bands actually see more of the $$$👍🙏🤘from 🇦🇺

34. 

    @TheGamer9494

    January 23, 2026 at 4:53 am

    Well, I don't know about you but I still like MP3s and I wouldn't mind buying an MP3 song even if it AI generated in fact, I'm making two AI generated albums. I'm not sure if they're gonna be free or you have to pay to buy these albums I'm not sure but I'm making them and they sound really good so far better than the real thing because they are the real thing cause AI is art.

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