Record labels take AI startups to court over music generation
Major music publishers Sony, Universal, Warner and others have filed lawsuits against AI startups Suno and Udio, alleging widespread copyright infringement in their music generation models. But how did these startups allegedly infringe, and what does this mean for the future of AI-generated music?
The lawsuits claim that Suno and Udio scraped large datasets of popular songs from various sources without permission. They then allegedly fed these copyrighted recordings into the training of their generative AI models.
To prove copying occurred, test results showed the AI tools could recreate signature elements of hits like songs by Mariah Carey, ABBA and Green Day when prompted with specifics. Court documents included side-by-side comparisons of AI outputs and original tracks, highlighting similarities.
One investor also reportedly acknowledged Suno's plan to train on licensed music, seeing lawsuits as an “underwriting risk”. Both startups are accused of overfitting models to memorize rather than generalize creatively.
While the cases don't reject AI music outright, they establish clear boundaries. The industry supports transformative uses but not direct copying or regeneration of famous works and voices. As technology evolves, collaborations like Universal's with SoundLabs suggest a balanced approach respecting copyrights is key.
