Sony technology identifies original songs in AI-generated music

Sony wants to help rights holders share in the revenue from AI-generated music, provided it was created using copyrighted works. To this end, Sony researchers have developed software that can identify original songs in AI-generated music. The model compares music from both sources and estimates the percentage shares of individual original works in the AI-generated results, for example, "30 percent Beatles and 10 percent Queen," reports Nikkei Asia.

With the software, Sony aims to provide music publishers and producers with an AI tool to assert licensing claims, writes the Japanese business magazine. In the case of cooperation between rights holders and providers of AI music services, the software can also perform analyses via an interface to the provider's base model. Sony even hopes that providers will integrate the technology into their own AI models: The company sees the technology as the basis for a remuneration system that distributes revenue from AI-generated music according to the share of the involved creators.

The Sony Group is one of the largest music rights holders worldwide: In addition to the Sony Music label, the company operates Sony Music Publishing, the largest music publisher, which manages the rights to millions of songs, including works by the Beatles and Queen.

AI music as a challenge for traditional licensing models

According to Nikkei Asia, Sony's recognition software was developed by the research division Sony AI, which belongs to the Sony Group's research and development organization. The report states that an accompanying scientific paper has been accepted for presentation at an international conference. Nikkei Asia provides no further details.

Generative AI can now produce complete songs from text input, for example with services like Suno or Udio. The mass production of AI songs presents problems for rights holders and platform operators because training data, stylistic imitations, and the attribution of creator shares are legally controversial. While some platforms completely ban AI-generated music, others are experimenting with cost-saving application scenarios, for example in radio's late-night programming.

Last October, Udio reached an agreement with Universal Music Group, one of the world's largest music corporations. The agreement stipulates that a new version of the service will license music from Universal Music needed for AI training. Users expressed frustration because the created AI songs cannot be downloaded or used for their own content.

(olb)