Sony Music warns AI companies against ‘unauthorized use’ of their content

Sony Music sent letters to hundreds of technology companies and warned them against using their content without permission, according to Bloomberg, who obtained a copy of the letter.

The letter was sent to more than 700 AI companies and streaming platforms and said that Sony Music’s “unauthorized use” of content for AI systems denies the label and artists “control and compensation” of their work. The letter, according Bloomberg, draws attention to the “training, development, or commercialization of AI systems” that utilize copyrighted material, including music, art, and lyrics. Sony Music artists include Doja Cat, Billy Joel, Celine Dion and Lil Nas X, among many others. Sony Music did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The music industry has been particularly aggressive in its efforts to control how its copyrighted work is used when it comes to AI tools. On YouTube, where AI musician voice clones exploded last year, record labels have negotiated a strict set of rules that apply to the music industry (everyone else gets much looser protections). At the same time, the platform introduced AI music tools like Dream Track, which generates songs in the style of a handful of artists based on text instructions.

Perhaps the most visible example of the fight over music copyright and AI is on TikTok. In February, Universal Music Group pulled its entire artist playlist from the platform after licensing negotiations fell through. Viral videos went silent as music from artists like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande disappeared from the platform.

The absence, however, didn’t last long: In April, before the release of her new album, Swift’s music quietly returned to TikTok (gotta get that promotion somehow). In early May, the standoff ended and UMG artists were back on TikTok. The two companies say an agreement has been reached with more protections around AI and “new monetization opportunities” around e-commerce.

“TikTok and UMG will work together to ensure that the development of AI across the music industry protects human art and the economy that flows to these artists and songwriters,” read a press release.

In addition to copyright, AI-generated voice clones used to create new music have raised questions about how much control a person has over their voice. AI companies trained models on libraries of recordings – often without consent – ​​and allowed the public to use the models to generate new material. But even claiming the right to publicity and image can be challenging, given the diversity of laws that vary from state to state in the US.