Sony Music Group has sent out a letter to around 700 tech companies warning them against using Sony’s music for training their AI models without permission.
The recipients have been asked to submit a detailed report on what songs they have used (and for how long) for AI training.
While Sony recognizes AI’s potential to do good, it also acknowledges the fact that artists put in a lot of work on the music they create, so they deserve to be fairly compensated.
Sony Music Group has sent a letter to over 700 tech companies that are using AI to develop music. The letter asks them not to use Sony’s content without its permission. The recipients of the letter haven’t been named but the instructions are the same for all—do not use any of Sony’s music, song lyrics, album cover art, composition, or metadata.
The recipients have also been asked to submit a detailed report highlighting which Sony songs they have used for AI training, for how long, and if they have any copies of those songs. If they do have copies, they also need to clarify why those copies exist in the first place.
What’s more, Sony has also given the recipients a deadline (which hasn’t yet been made public) to answer its questions. If they don’t respond within the deadline, Sony might take legal action. In fact, the company has made it crystal clear that it will not shy away from enforcing its copyright to the fullest extent permissible by the law.
“We support artists and songwriters taking the lead in embracing new technologies in support of their art. Evolutions in technology have frequently shifted the course of creative industries. AI will likely continue that long-standing trend.” – Sony
However, Sony also added that this doesn’t justify tech companies stealing their content. The rights of songwriters, recording artists, and all other creative personnel need to be protected.
Sony’s Reason behind Sending the Letter
The reason behind sending out what can almost be called a stark warning is pretty simple: Sony is trying to protect the intellectual properties of the company and all of its artists.
Generally speaking, artists and music companies put a lot of effort into creating original music—and when AI companies steal their work without permission, they are basically depriving them of the compensation they deserve for their hard work.
If unauthorized usage of copyrighted music for AI training continues, AI-created music will soon be in direct competition with real artists, which will further take away opportunities from them.
Sony Music Group works with many A-list artists including, Adele, Beyonce, and Celine Dion, who will undoubtedly not appreciate a tech company using their work without credit and/or compensation.
Read more: OpenAI previews voice cloning tech which can be a huge hazard for both music artists and the general public alike
Music Industry & AI: What’s Changing?
Concerns around the growing use of ‘real work’ in training AI models have been around for a while now. Music streaming services like Spotify (who has decided not to ban AI-made music, by the way) have been flooded with AI-made songs.
The worst part is that some of these AI-made songs imitate actual artists, drawing listeners who are otherwise fans of those artists—who then get nothing for their influence and reach.
For example, a song called “Heart on my sleeve,” created by an anonymous user went viral online last year. Its vocals sounded a lot like Drake and The Weeknd. As a result, the Universal Music Group filed a copyright claim and the streaming platforms then took the song down. Scary, right? Even worse, there have been several instances similar to this.
The sudden AI boom has really impacted the music industry—plus, in the absence of a proper set of rules, things have turned chaotic.
On the bright side, though, both the music industry and legislative bodies have started to understand that they need to find a way to work together with AI. This is why some U.S. states have been introducing brand-new sets of rules for AI music companies.
For instance, just last month, California Democratic Representative Adam Schiff introduced a new legislation in the US Congress, which, if passed, will force AI companies to reveal the names of the original songs they have used in training their models.
Similarly, in March 2024, the Tennessee governor signed the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, which protects performers, songwriters, and music industry professionals’ voice from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).
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