YouTube is in talks with record companies to get song rights for its AI to learn from popular music. This was reported by the Financial Times on June 26, 2024. YouTube plans to launch new AI tools this year and needs content rights from record companies.
YouTube’s Plan for AI Music Training
Google’s YouTube wants to use songs by popular artists to train its AI. Three internal sources who are aware of the talks confirmed it. The report claims that YouTube has offered a good deal to big record companies like Sony, Warner, and Universal. The goal is to get more artists to let their music be used for AI training.
Legal Issues with AI Music Training
Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music sued AI companies Suno and Udio. They accused these companies of using their recordings without permission to train music-making AI systems. The lawsuit claims these AI systems create music that competes with human artists.
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The lawsuit says Suno copied 662 songs, and Udio copied 1,670 songs. The record companies want the court to award damages of $150,000 per song. This is about RMB 1.094 million per song.
Suno’s Response to the Lawsuit
Suno’s CEO, Mikey Shulman, responded to the lawsuit. He said, “Our tech is transformative. It makes new outputs, not copies of existing content.” Suno just released its V3.5 model this month and made it open to all users.
Impact on the Music Industry
If YouTube gets the rights to use these songs, it could change how artists make and share music. AI tools could create new types of music and help artists. But there are concerns about AI competing with human artists. The lawsuits show that the music industry has some reservations about this.
Conclusion
YouTube’s plan to use AI for music training needs the support of record companies. The legal issues with Suno and Udio show the challenges in using AI for music. If YouTube succeeds, it could bring new opportunities and risks for the music industry.
