Sony Music Group has despatched letters to greater than 700 tech firms and music streaming providers to warn them to not use its music to coach AI with out express permission. The letter, which was obtained by everydayai, says Sony Music has “cause to consider” that the recipients of the letter have “might have already got made unauthorized makes use of” of its content material.
Sony Music mentioned that whereas it acknowledges the “vital potential” of AI, “unauthorized use of SMG Content material within the coaching, growth or commercialization of AI methods” deprives it and its artists of management and “applicable compensation.”
The corporate’s portfolio of artists contains quite a few notable artists like Harry Kinds, Beyoncé, Adele and Celine Dion.
Sony Music is searching for to guard its mental property, which incorporates audio and audiovisual recordings, cowl art work, metadata, lyrics and extra.
“We assist artists and songwriters taking the lead in embracing new applied sciences in assist of their artwork,” Sony Music mentioned in a press release. “Evolutions in expertise have steadily shifted the course of artistic industries. AI will probably proceed that long-standing development. Nevertheless, that innovation should be sure that songwriters’ and recording artists’ rights, together with copyrights, are revered.”
The letter asks recipients to element which of Sony Music’s songs have been used to coach AI methods, how the songs have been accessed, what number of copies have been made and if any copies nonetheless exist, and why copies existed within the first place.
Sony Music has given recipients of the letter a deadline to reply, noting that it’ll implement its copyright to the “fullest extent permitted by relevant regulation in all jurisdictions.”
The transfer comes as copyright infringement is turning into a big difficulty with the rise of generative AI. Streaming providers like Spotify are flooded with AI-generated music. Even artists are dabbling with AI, as Drake confronted criticism after deepfaking the late rapper Tupac earlier this month.
