Warner Music has entered into a licensing deal with the AI song generator Suno, following the resolution of a copyright infringement lawsuit against the service from a year prior.
As the third-largest music label globally, representing artists like Coldplay, Charli XCX, and Ed Sheeran, Warner becomes the first major record label to officially collaborate with Suno.
Under the terms of the agreement, users can create AI-generated songs on Suno by using simple text prompts, which may include the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who have opted into the service.
Robert Kinkle, CEO of Warner Music Group, emphasized that this partnership demonstrates how artificial intelligence can develop into “professional artists” while showcasing “the values of music.”
“This innovative agreement with Suno is a win for the creative community that will benefit everyone involved,” he declared. “As Suno’s user base and monetization rapidly grow, we recognized this opportunity to create a revenue model and enhance fan experiences.”
As part of the agreement, Suno, often dubbed the ChatGPT of music, committed to modifying its platform to introduce a new, more strictly licensed model next year, including download limitations for users.
Suno announced that only paying members will be permitted to download its AI music creations, and even these members will be subject to extra fees for downloads, as well as a cap on the number of creations they can produce.
This initiative aims to tackle the proliferation of AI tracks generated on Suno, moving toward discontinuing the current version and avoiding an oversupply on streaming platforms.
This agreement comes shortly after Warner Music reached a settlement and partnership agreement with rival AI music generation platform Udio.
Previously, the world’s largest record label sued both Suno and Woodo for copyright violations, asserting their technologies misappropriated music and churned out millions of AI-generated songs without artist consent.
Universal Music, the leading label worldwide, was the first to announce settlements with these companies when they concluded an agreement with Audio last month. While Universal continues to pursue legal action against Suno, Sony Music has filed lawsuits against both Suno and Woody.
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In conjunction with the deal with Warner Music, Suno has also acquired live music and concert discovery platform Songkick for an undisclosed figure.
The UK government is currently consulting on a new intellectual property framework for AI, which was initially expected to enable AI firms to use the creative community’s work without approval for model training.
This issue has ignited significant backlash from creators, who advocate for an opt-in system that would enable companies to identify and license their work while ensuring creators receive compensation when their work is utilized.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall indicated last week her intention to “reset” the discussion, expressing support for artists’ appeals to prevent their work from being exploited by AI companies without remuneration.
Source: www.theguardian.com
