How can I tell if a track was written by a human or generated by AI?

Updated 2026-07-22 · TV Music Store

Often you cannot tell by listening any more, and AI-detection tools produce both false positives and false negatives — so "it sounds human" is not evidence. The signal that holds up is provenance: a named composer with a real registration (PRO and IPI number), a body of work, and cue-sheet data you can file with a broadcaster. Generated tracks have none of that, which is also why they cause trouble at broadcast delivery. Every track on TV Music Store is written by a credited human composer with that paperwork behind it.

What still gives AI music away — sometimes

Why detector tools are not the answer

AI-music detectors exist and they are improving, but none is reliable enough to bet a delivery on: they flag human recordings as AI and pass AI recordings as human. Using one as proof, in either direction, is a bad idea.

The line is also blurrier than the question assumes. A human composer who used an AI tool to sketch a string layer is not the same thing as a fully generated track — and no detector distinguishes those cases.

The check that actually works: provenance

QuestionHuman-composed catalogueGenerated track
Is there a named composer?Yes — with an artist page and a body of workUsually a pseudonym with no history
Registered with a PRO (BMI/ASCAP/PRS)?Yes, with an IPI/CAE numberTypically not
Can you file a cue sheet with it?Yes — the data is on the licenseNo — there is nobody to pay
Will a broadcaster accept the delivery?YesIt becomes your problem at delivery

Why this is not just a matter of taste

If your project goes to television, a streaming platform or a festival, you must deliver a cue sheet naming the composer, their PRO and their IPI number. Music with no registered author cannot be filed. Nobody warns you about this at download time — you find out at delivery, when the schedule is tight.

It matters for the money too: performance royalties are paid to registered composers. Generated tracks produce no such registration, and the ownership of AI output is still being argued over in several territories.

Where we stand

TV Music Store is a boutique catalogue of music written by human composers. Every track has a named composer, an artist page, and cue-sheet data — legal name, PRO and IPI — printed on the license you receive. That is not a marketing claim you have to trust; it is paperwork you can check and file.

Frequently asked

Can an AI detector prove that music is human-made?

No. Current detectors produce both false positives and false negatives, so they cannot serve as proof in either direction. Provenance — a named, PRO-registered composer — is the reliable signal.

Is AI-generated music legal to use in a commercial video?

It depends on the platform's terms and on your jurisdiction, and the ownership of AI output is still unsettled in several territories. The practical problem arrives earlier: broadcasters and streaming platforms need a cue sheet with a registered composer, which generated music cannot provide.

Is the TV Music Store catalogue AI-generated?

No. Every track is written by a credited human composer with PRO/IPI registration and a public artist page.

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