Summary
- Spotify has partnered with Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin and Believe for “responsible” use of AI in the music industry;
- According to the company, the initiative aims to empower artists and composers, allowing the use of musical collections to train AI without violating copyright;
- The initiative provides for rights holders to receive compensation for the use of their works in AI.
Spotify announced an agreement with major record labels to develop products with “responsible” use of artificial intelligence in the music industry. Does this mean that tracks created with the help of AI could become more common on the streaming platform? Perhaps.
The partnership was closed with Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Merlin, which specializes in copyright in the field of digital music, and Believe, which controls several companies in the sector, are also part of the agreement.
According to Spotify, the objective is to empower artists and composers. The company suggests that the initiative aims to develop AI-based technologies that make fair use of the work of these professionals.
In this sense, the partnership with record labels should allow Spotify to use music collections to train AI models without this activity violating copyright laws.
Additionally, the owners of the songs used for this purpose may receive some type of financial compensation for this, as well as being credited when their works serve as a reference for tracks generated wholly or partially by AI.
Another premise is that artists or rights holders can choose how and if they want their works to be used by artificial intelligence tools.
What will Spotify’s AI products look like?
Spotify has not yet given details about this. The company only reported that it is setting up a laboratory for research into generative AI:
We began building a state-of-the-art generative AI research lab and assembling a product team focused on developing technologies that reflect our principles and create innovative experiences for fans and artists.
It won’t be surprising if the record deal comes under fire, however. On the one hand, the initiative could resolve complaints from artists about the uncompensated use of music for AI training. On the other hand, it can give more openness to AI-generated tracks in order to reduce the space for human artists in streaming.
It is indisputable, however, that artificial intelligence must make ethical use of data to train models, including in the field of music. Even if it is not perfect, Spotify’s initiative seems to be a relevant step towards this scenario.
Source: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/spotify-e-gravadoras-fecham-parceria-para-uso-responsavel-de-ia-na-musica/
