Key Takeaways
- The US music industry has filed lawsuits against AI song generators, citing copyright infringement and unauthorized use of sound recordings.
- The lawsuits seek injunctions and damages for the AI companies’ alleged use of AI algorithms to generate music without proper licensing or compensation.
- The RIAA argues that AI companies are depriving artists of their rightful earnings and control over their music, and calls for the industry to stop using AI to infringe upon the rights of human artists.
Los Angeles: The music industry in the US has joined efforts to hold artificial intelligence (AI) companies accountable for copyright infringement as major record brands have filed lawsuits against two AI song generators.
The cases were filed on Monday in two different federal courts: one in Boston against Suno, Inc., and the other in New York against Uncharted Labs, Inc. Suno is the developer of Suno AI, while Uncharted Labs is the developer of Udio AI.
The plaintiffs in the two cases include Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records, according to the complaints.
“Unlicensed services like Suno and Udio that claim it’s ‘fair’ to copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all,” said Mitch Glazier, chairman and chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in a statement.
Both cases seek injunctions barring the AI companies from infringing plaintiffs’ copyrighted sound recordings and damages for the infringements that have already occurred, according to the RIAA.
The core of the lawsuits revolves around the alleged unauthorized use of sound recordings to create new music through AI algorithms. These technologies, designed to mimic and generate music in the style of popular artists, have raised concerns among musicians, songwriters, and producers about the protection of their creative works in the digital age.
The RIAA argues that by using these recordings without proper licensing or compensation, Suno AI and Udio AI are depriving artists of their rightful earnings and control over their music.
In March, Tennessee made history by becoming the first US state to pass legislation protecting songwriters, performers, and other music industry professionals from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. The bill goes into effect on July 1.
In April, more than 200 artists signed an open letter submitted by the Artist Rights Alliance, calling on AI developers, technology companies, platforms, and digital music services to stop using AI to infringe upon the rights of human artists.
