AI MUSIC
The music industry is racing AI before it races them
Universal Music and Warner Music are close to signing deals with AI companies that could change how the industry handles technology.
Talks include start-ups like ElevenLabs, Stability AI, Suno, Udio and Klay Vision, along with bigger players such as Google and Spotify.
The goal is to set up a system where AI use of songs, for creating tracks or training models, triggers payments to rights-holders, similar to streaming.
To make this work, labels want AI firms to create tech that can spot when their music is used, much like YouTube’s content ID.
They believe these deals could set the benchmark for how artists get paid as AI becomes more common in music-making.
Sony Music said it’s also in talks, but will only work with companies that train models “ethically.”
TL;DR
Universal and Warner are negotiating licensing deals with AI start-ups and tech giants.
Labels are pushing for a payment model similar to streaming, backed by detection tools.
AI-generated music is already a major presence on streaming platforms.
Infinite jukebox energy
Meanwhile, AI music is already flooding platforms.
Deezer found nearly a third of uploads were AI-made, and Spotify said it deleted 75 million spam AI tracks in the past year.
Industry leaders compare the current moment to the Napster era in the early 2000s, when piracy nearly destroyed music.
This time, labels want to move faster and avoid repeating those mistakes.
Spotify deleting 75M fake songs - but I still can’t find my playlist.