"PLAYED BY HUMANS" MOVEMENT IS THE ANSWER TO TRANSPARENCY IN MUSIC

LOS ANGELES, April 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and music-based cultural art project Jazz Is Dead, launched "Played by Humans," a movement and stamp of authenticity that gives musical artists and listeners a way to verify music created by humans.

Created in response to the surge in AI-generated music on streaming platforms, "Played by Humans" addresses a critical moment for the music industry: 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between AI-generated and human-made music. Further, 60,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to streaming sites daily and human musicians face projected income losses equivalent to three months of earnings annually by 2028.

"We created 'Played by Humans' because the music industry is at an inflection point," said TBWA\Chiat\Day LA Chief Creative Officer, Pedro Pérez. "We chose Jazz Is Dead to help us drive this movement because they embody human musicianship, proving real artistry can't be replicated…only felt."

How It Works

"Played By Humans," hosted on Jazz Is Dead's playedbyhumans.org, allows musicians, labels, and listeners to upload tracks for analysis to determine whether the content is 100% AI-generated or human-made. The tool produces a confidence score, and songs that earn a specific authenticity threshold award the artist a "Played By Humans" stamp of authenticity. This blockchain-backed credential can be placed on physical and digital copies of the album.

"We designed this stamp as a symbol that doesn't reject technology, but celebrates humanity," said TBWA\Worldwide Global Chief Design Officer, Bruno Regalo. Inspired by advisory labels, we created something that feels trustworthy – visual assurance that there is a real person behind the music."

Campaign Assets and Activations

• Stamp of Authenticity: a visible marker for verified human-made music
• Digital Verification Platform: a publicly accessible tool for artists and fans to certify human-made music
• Documentary Short Film: a 10-minute short film highlighting irreplaceable human creativity

"We see jazz and music at large as an expression of free will and a celebration of creativity, spontaneity and collaboration," said Jazz Is Dead Co-Founder, Adrian Younge. "AI-generated music can't express that free will, nor can it create real community because the invention of the output is happening in a vacuum. Without humans, it's just sound. 'Played by Humans' exists to remind everyone what's actually at stake."

For more information, visit playedbyhumans.org and follow @playedbyhumans and @jazzisdead on Instagram.

ABOUT TBWA\CHIAT\DAY LA

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA is the original Disruption® company and creative advertising agency specializing in brand and creative strategy, design, social, data and connections. TBWA has been named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for the past five years, Adweek's 2024, 2022, 2021 and 2018 Global Agency of the Year and Ad Age's A-List 2022 Network of the Year. TBWA\Chiat\Day LA is part of Omnicom Advertising.

ABOUT JAZZ IS DEAD

Founded in 2017 by Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), Andrew Lojero, and Adam Block, Jazz Is Dead is a community-based, modern music company, combining a deep and growing catalog of newly recorded analog albums, short- and long-form video and photographic content, carefully curated live events, and an apparel business. Jazz Is Dead is a reminder that the spirit of jazz has never stopped evolving. For more information, visit jazzisdead.com.

SOURCE TBWA\Chiat\Day