YouTube Pursuing AI Song Deals, Prompting Debate Over Music’s Future

YouTube is negotiating with major record labels to license music for its AI song generation tools, aiming to launch new features this year despite many artists’ opposition to AI-generated music.

Key Points:

• YouTube needs labels’ content to legally train AI song generators and is offering upfront payments to convince more artists to participate.
• The company tested a limited AI tool called “Dream Track” last year with only 10 artists, and now wants to sign up “dozens” for a broader rollout in 2024.
• The deals would apply to select artists rather than being blanket licenses, with labels encouraging their stars to join the projects.

Industry Reactions and Challenges: The music industry is grappling with how to approach AI song generation, balancing innovation with protecting artists’ interests:

• Some executives don’t want labels to appear resistant to new technology, but forcing artists into AI schemes could prove highly controversial.
• Over 200 musicians, including big names like Billie Eilish, signed an open letter warning that unchecked AI could devalue their work and undermine fair compensation.
• Major labels have sued AI startups Suno and Udio for allegedly using copyrighted recordings illegally to train their models, seeking substantial damages.

Broader Context: The negotiations come as AI companies strike lucrative licensing deals with media groups to train large language models:

• The music industry aims to get ahead of disruptive tech this time, after nearly facing extinction in the Napster era, by pursuing licensed AI products that pay for using music copyrights.
• Labels like Sony Music, Warner, and Universal are in talks with YouTube about expanding the AI song generation tools, despite not all participating in the initial test phase.

Looking Ahead:
As YouTube pushes to roll out new AI music features in 2024, it remains to be seen how many artists will agree to participate and whether the company can allay concerns about the technology’s impact on the music industry’s future. The ongoing licensing negotiations and legal battles signal the complex landscape tech firms must navigate to bring AI song generation into the mainstream.