The Verge reported:
According to the Financial Times, the Google-owned video platform is offering to pay Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Records “lump sums of cash” in exchange for licensing their songs to legally train its AI music tools.
YouTube told the Financial Times that it’s not looking to expand Dream Track — which was supported by just ten artists during its test phase — but confirmed it was “in conversations with labels about other experiments.” The platform is aiming to license music from “dozens” of artists according to the report, which will instead be used to train new AI tools that YouTube is planning to launch later this year. The fee that YouTube is willing to pay for these licenses hasn’t been disclosed, but the report says these will likely be one-off payments rather than royalty-based arrangements.
SEE: YouTube Plans To Launch AI Tool That Allows Users To Sing In The Voice Of Their Favorite Singer
Regardless, both artists and the labels that represent them will likely take some convincing. Sony Music has extensively warned AI companies against “unauthorized use” of its content, and UMG was willing to temporarily pull its entire music catalog from TikTok after inadequate protections against AI-generated music caused licensing negotiations to fall apart. Back in January, over 200 artists — including Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, and Katy Perry — also called for tech companies to cease using AI to “infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”
News of these discussions comes just days after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing record labels like Sony, Warner, and Universal, filed separate copyright infringement lawsuits against two of the top companies in generative AI music. The labels allege that outputs from Suno and Udio were produced using “unlicensed copying of sound recordings on a massive scale,” with the RIAA seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringement.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Lamentations 5:14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick.
Everything is so fake and synthetic anymore. Music, as we all know, has taken a MASSIVE downward skid into satanic, unintelligible amateur ramblings and rackets; but now by cloning artists’ voices and instruments 100% of the creative element will be lost.
SEE: Permissible Theft: AI-Generated Song Featuring Popular Rapper Drake Up For Grammy Nomination
AI Singer-Songwriter “Anna Indiana” Debuts New Music, As Real Musicians Get Replaced
Warner Music Signs Record Deal With Fake AI Pop Star Singer In First Ever
Grammy Awards Will Now Allow AI Music To Win, But Only If A Physical Contributor Helped
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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What a great idea, put musicians out of work for the sake of “progress” Progress is killing everything.
Sometimes the best progress is no progress, stop and let things be, there is no need to improve things daily:
Ecc_1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
In light of the fact said musicians already sold their souls to the devil, the father of lies, is it any wonder he is now biting them in the arse?
They likely didn’t read one word of the contracts they sign. Guarantee you, in concealed language – it’s there. These musicians were hemmed in tight from the beginning.
Artists (in general – not only specific to music) aren’t too bright to begin with. They are gifted in their craft to be sure, but not smart people in the ways they need to be if they are going for maximum marketability.
Bob Seger was right: “Today’s music ain’t got the same soul”. In fact it has no soul…