Blog · 9 October 2026

Can you use AI cover art on Spotify and Apple Music?

Yes. As of 9 October 2026, none of the artwork pages we read from Spotify, Apple Music, DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby or Bandcamp bans cover art made with AI. They apply the same rules as for any cover: you must hold the rights and the art must meet the size and content specs. Apple adds that art must not mislead, and TuneCore and CD Baby want any text on the art to match your metadata. Apple has also added a disclosure tag for AI-made artwork.

Spotify

Spotify's cover art requirements are technical: TIFF, PNG or JPG, square, 640 to 10000 pixels on each side, no upscaling. It says nothing about how the image was made. The prohibited content page says content provided without rightsholder permission, or infringing trademarks, may be removed. Spotify's AI credits show when part of a track is generated with AI, such as lyrics, vocals or production, and do not cover artwork. Spotify's September 2025 announcement covers vocal impersonation, spam and credits disclosures, not artwork, and says it is not about punishing responsible AI use.

Spotify's AI Persona badges, announced in August 2026 and now rolling out, mark artists whose public identity represents an AI-generated photorealistic human. They are about identity, not artwork, but Spotify's review looks at a profile's name and imagery, including AI-generated profile images, headers and album artwork. Music from AI Personas is left out of editorial and personalized recommendations unless a listener seeks the artist out, and a Spotify-applied badge can be appealed, not removed. The badge does not apply if your profile represents a real person, so if your cover is AI-made, keep your artist photo and profile real.

Apple Music

Apple's Music Style Guide says art must not be misleading or low quality, and must not contain website addresses, logos, QR codes, pricing or pornography. Its editorial rules list misleading use of AI as a reason content can be hidden. The Apple Music Specification, the delivery document for providers, has an AI transparency tag: when AI generates a material portion of the content, the provider discloses it, and for album artwork the value is Artwork. The spec lists the tag as optional, but when Apple launched it in March 2026 it told labels and distributors it will be required for new deliveries in future, as Music Business Worldwide reported. Ask your distributor whether they send it. Apple's publicity photo guidelines, for artist photos rather than covers, exclude AI-generated imagery but allow AI editing tools.

DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby

DistroKid asks for a square JPG, at least 1000 by 1000 pixels and ideally 3000 by 3000, in RGB, and says stores reject art with URLs, QR codes, prices, streaming or social logos, nudity, or unlicensed or stock photography. Its AI article says it accepts AI-made music if you own 100 percent of the rights, do not copy anyone's voice, likeness or identity without permission, do not mass-generate spam and do not infringe. It is about music, not art.

TuneCore wants a square JPG, PNG or GIF, 1600 to 3000 pixels, under 10MB, in RGB, with only the artist name and title as text, and images you own the rights to distribute. TuneCore's GenAI framework applies whenever GenAI is used in making a track, and says TuneCore only distributes music made with models trained on fully licensed datasets. It is about music.

CD Baby takes PNG, GIF or JPG, 1400 to 3000 pixels, under 25MB, in RGB, with any text matching your metadata exactly. Its restrictions ban URLs, contact details, pricing, pornography, copyrighted images you lack rights to, and low-quality images. Nothing on either page is about AI.

Bandcamp

Bandcamp's January 2026 post Keeping Bandcamp Human says music and audio generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted, and any use of AI to impersonate other artists or styles is prohibited. The post does not mention artwork. Bandcamp's design tutorial asks for square art of at least 1400 by 1400 pixels, and its terms require that you own or control all rights to your music and artworks.

What the US Copyright Office says

This is not legal advice. The Office's registration guidance of March 2023 says when an AI tool receives only a prompt and produces a complex visual work, the technology decides the traditional elements of authorship, so that material is not protected by copyright and must be disclaimed. Creative human selection, arrangement or modification can still be protected, and applicants must disclose AI-generated content. The Office's Part 2 report of January 2025 confirms this: prompts alone do not give enough control with current technology, and using AI to assist human creativity does not affect protection. The report says consensus on human authorship seems to be emerging abroad, but views are still forming. Rules differ by country, so check yours.

Before you release

1. Start from the song's own words. A cover that comes from the lyrics fits the song in a way a generic image cannot.
2. Check for lookalikes. Real people, brand logos and famous works trip the rights and impersonation rules above.
3. Keep a record of your prompts, kept images and every edit. If you register, the Office asks you to describe the human contribution.
4. Match your metadata. Artist name and title on the art must match what you submit.
5. Read the store page on the day you release. These rules moved in 2025 and 2026.

On ownership, our Terms at Soundae put it plainly: you may publish, sell and license what you make on every plan, including the free one, and you are responsible for holding the rights to whatever you upload.