FameEX Hot Topics | Universal Music Group Instructs Streaming Services to Prohibit AI-generated Music

Universal Music Group (UMG) has instructed music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to block AI services from being able to copy melodies and lyrics from copyrighted songs. According to a source close to the situation, UMG has been requesting takedowns of AI-generated songs that infringe on copyright laws. AI bots have been granted access to music catalogs on streaming platforms, which has been used by developers to train the technology. UMG is concerned that AI bots could use their intellectual property to create music that is indistinguishable from that of real artists. There are fears that AI technology will continue to infringe on the intellectual property rights of artists in the music industry. Google has announced its machine-learning music apparatus, MusicLM, which can generate “high-fidelity music from text descriptions”.

The music industry giant has been increasingly concerned about the rise of AI bots using intellectual property to produce music identical to actual artists. The company is taking an artist-first stance and has written in emails to the streaming services that they “will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists.” One Twitter user shared an AI-generated song featuring an AI-version of rapper Jay-Z, which is almost identical to the real Jay-Z. The user was unsure whether they should feel “good or ashamed” for enjoying AI-generated music as a fan of the rapper. Another example shared by the same user was an AI model of Kanye West singing along to the tracks of rapper Drake’s song “Hold On”.

The issue could be the beginning of what could be in store for the music industry in its fight against AI technology taking advantage of intellectual property rights. Along with AI-generated music on Twitter and popular streaming platforms, entire YouTube pages are popping up, remaking well-known music via AI technology. AI could be asked to compose a song that lyrically resembles Taylor Swift but with vocals and themes of other popular artists like Bruno Mars and Harry Styles. The output of such a song would be due to the fact that AI has been trained on the intellectual property of these artists.

While AI-generated music could have positive implications for the music industry in terms of time efficiency and cost-effectiveness, it could also have a negative impact on the industry if used improperly. As AI technology continues to advance and develop, it will be important for the music industry to monitor and regulate the use of AI in music production to protect the intellectual property of artists and the industry as a whole.

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