Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More
Just a day after facing copyright infringement lawsuits from some of the world’s largest record labels, AI music startup Udio is responding.
These lawsuits, alleging massive-scale copyright infringement by Udio and rival AI music startup Suno, were filed by Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group.
Udio has now released a detailed statement on X, addressing the situation:
“Today, we’d like to share some thoughts on AI and the future of music…
Register to access VB Transform On-Demand
In-person passes for VB Transform 2024 are now sold out! Don’t miss out—register now for exclusive on-demand access available after the conference. Learn More
Over the past two years, AI has become a powerful tool for creative expression in various media—from text and images to film, and now music.
At Udio, our mission is to empower all types of artists to create extraordinary music. Despite our short existence, we have collaborated with some of the world’s greatest musicians, brainstormed lyrics with emerging songwriters, and watched millions of users create remarkable new music, ranging from the humorous to the deeply moving.
We heard from a talented musician who regained the ability to create music after losing the use of his hands. Producers have sampled AI-generated tracks for hit songs like ‘BBL Drizzy’. Everyday music lovers have used our technology to express a wide range of human emotions, from love to sorrow to joy.
Groundbreaking technology brings change and uncertainty. Here’s how our technology works:
Generative AI models, including our music model, learn from examples. Just as students learn by listening to music and studying scores, our model learns from a vast collection of recorded music.
The goal of training our model is to understand fundamental musical ideas, which are not owned by anyone. Our system is designed to generate music that reflects new ideas. We are not interested in reproducing the content from our training set, and we use the latest filters to ensure our model does not replicate copyrighted works or artists’ voices.
We are confident in our technology and believe generative AI will become an integral part of modern society.
Every new technological development in music has initially faced apprehension but ultimately benefited artists, record companies, music publishers, technologists, and the public. Examples include synthesizers, drum machines, digital recording technology, and sound recording itself—once controversial tools that expanded music as both art and business, creating new genres and generating billions for artists, songwriters, record labels, and music publishers.
Many musicians, especially the newer generation, are eager to integrate AI into their creative processes. In the near future, artists will collaborate with fans to compose music, amateur musicians will create entirely new genres, and talented creators, regardless of their resources, will have the chance to succeed in the music industry.
The future of music promises more creative expression than ever before. Let’s use this pivotal moment in technology to broaden the community of creators, empower artists, and celebrate human creativity.”
The major record labels’ complaints accuse the AI startups of mass-copying copyrighted songs to train their models and then generating infringing outputs that closely resemble the original training data. They argue that Suno and Udio’s AI models produce outputs similar to original compositions and replicate specific artist traits, such as Jason Derulo’s habit of singing his name at the beginning of his songs.
Suno’s CEO Mikey Shulman defended the technology in an interview with Wired magazine, asserting that it creates new content and does not replicate existing music.
Overall, the rapid growth of AI music generation has sparked a conflict over training data and outputs, which currently shows no signs of resolution.