Dear indie friends,

This week felt different.

Not because a new platform appeared. Like Subvert.
Not because a new genre was born. Like (you name it 😉 )
Not because another startup promised to “revolutionize music forever.”

No.

This week felt different because, for the first time in a long while, the masks started slipping.

Platforms are no longer speaking vaguely about AI-generated music.

Numbers are arriving now.

Policies too.

And suddenly, the indie scene finds itself standing in the middle of a question much bigger than technology itself:

What happens to music when authenticity becomes difficult to recognize?

Let that number breathe for a second.

Seventy-five thousand AI-generated songs uploaded every single day.

Every day.

According to Deezer’s own official figures released in April 2026, nearly 44% of newly uploaded tracks on the platform are now AI-generated.

Forty-four percent.

One year ago, the same company was talking about 20,000 uploads per day.

The acceleration is staggering.

Almost unreal.

And yet… here we are.

This is no longer a futuristic conversation.

It is the present.

(why don’t you take a pause and listen to this one…?)

Back in 2025, Deezer became the first streaming platform to publicly launch a large-scale AI labeling system for music.

Not rumors.
Not theory.

A real system.

Using detection technology developed from patents filed in late 2024, Deezer started identifying fully AI-generated songs and displaying labels directly on releases.

“AI-generated content.”

Simple words. Heavy consequences.

Then, in early 2026, they went even further.

Some AI-generated streams became demonetized.

Large amounts of fully generated content were excluded from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists.

And suddenly, an uncomfortable idea emerged:

maybe the future of streaming platforms will not simply be about distributing music… but about deciding what qualifies as music worth surfacing.

Spotify eventually introduced AI labeling measures too.

But much later.

And much more quietly.

Compared to Deezer’s increasingly public stance, Spotify still feels difficult to read.

No clear large-scale transparency around detection systems.
No detailed public numbers.
No real visibility regarding how recommendations are affected.

Maybe this is strategic, caution or even fear.

Because once numbers become visible… the conversation changes forever.

Bandcamp took the opposite road entirely.

No labels.

No coexistence strategy.

No middle ground.

In January 2026, Bandcamp officially prohibited music generated “entirely or substantially” by AI systems.

Not partially hidden in terms and conditions.

Openly, publicly, clearly.

The platform even encouraged users to report suspicious uploads and reserved the right to remove them.

Whether people agree or disagree with the decision is almost secondary at this point.

Because what truly matters is this: Bandcamp made a choice.

Because deep down, this conversation is not truly about software. Who cares about the machine…

It is more about trust.

When you hear a fragile voice trembling during a chorus… was somebody there?
When someone writes about grief, addiction, loneliness, war, heartbreak or survival… did a human being actually live those emotions?

And maybe the answer will increasingly become:

sometimes yes.
sometimes no.
sometimes partially.
sometimes collaboratively.

Reality itself is becoming layered. And that’s not that cool.

This might be where indie culture still matters. We, indie artists, don’t chase “purity.”
We don’t think about technology as evil, neither.

But indie scenes historically survived through human context.

Small radios. Tiny blogs. Word of mouth. Messages sent at midnight.

Artists helping each other across continents without expecting anything back.

An algorithm can generate infinite songs but it still struggles to recreate genuine human care.

The feeling behind a recommendation.

The emotional memory attached to a voice.

The invisible weight of someone saying:
“You need to hear this song. Trust me.”

The danger may not be AI itself. The danger may be emotional inflation. When infinite music appears instantly… attention collapses.

Everything becomes background noise. Songs lose weight. Albums lose presence.

Discovery becomes exhausting instead of magical.

And somewhere in the middle of this endless abundance, truly human artists may slowly disappear under oceans of synthetic content optimized for passive listening.

Not because they are less talented. But because they cannot compete with infinity.

Remember, figures are not my cup of tea… we don’t need to chase them. We need sincerity, and feedback.

Honestly? I don’t know…

I do not think this ends with a simple “pro-AI” versus “anti-AI” war. Actually, I m quite against that binary vision.

That feels far too simplistic for the complexity we are entering.

Some artists will use AI creatively and transparently. Some will reject it entirely.

Some listeners will care deeply. Others will not care at all.

And all of these realities will coexist.

But one thing feels increasingly essential:

Honesty. Transparency. Context.

Tell people how something was made. Tell them what part was human. Tell them what part was generated.

Because audiences deserve clarity.

And Trust matters. Like emotional connection. Sincerity.

With love from Brussels,

Mitxoda

This week’s Top 10 isn’t about winning prizes, it’s about love, support, and staying in it together.

Every Friday at 4:00 PM (Brussels time) a new episode of Le Salon Indie de Mitxoda will take place on salon.mitxoda.be, don’t miss it.

This week, Le Salon Indie de Mitxoda will take a little step backwards in time.

No brand new releases. No fresh premieres. No race against the clock. No voice. Just sounds.

And honestly… for a very human reason.

Our friends at OTAT247 are taking a well-deserved vacation. And just like all of us, Dave and Lisa absolutely deserve to breathe, disconnect a little, and simply enjoy life beyond schedules, playlists and endless notifications.

The indie world sometimes forgets this:

behind every radio, every blog, every playlist, every weekly… there are humans. Wonderful humans.

So do not worry: all the incredible songs received this week will absolutely be played very soon.

Nothing is forgotten.

Nothing is lost.

This is simply a small pause between heartbeats.

With love, always,
🖤 Mitxoda

END 😆