Sony Music Group, which owns popular record labels like Epic, RCA, and Columbia, has begun sending formal letters to over 700 streaming platforms and generative AI companies including Google, Microsoft and OpenAI, forbidding them from web scraping, text or data mining, or any other use of SMG content without explicit licencing agreements.
Newsng obtained a copy of a letter from Sony Music that specifically forbids AI developers from using the music of the label, which features artists like Beyoncé, Adele, and Harry Styles, and forgoes text and data mining of any of its content for any reason, including developing, training, or commercialising AI systems.
Sony Music stated that it had “reason to believe” that the addressees “may already have made unauthorised uses” of its music in the letter that was issued to more than 700 businesses.
Sony Music says it will pursue its copyright “to the full extent permitted by applicable law,” which includes the EU’s impending AI Act and has given businesses a deadline to respond.
Sony Music’s grievance is part of a larger discussion that has been going on ever since the release of the newest round of AI-powered tools.
For instance, a chatbot may have “learned” to respond in a specific writing style by being exposed to billions of books, but an image-generating programme may have been given millions of pre-existing photos.
Similar programmes are available for making music; however, Sony Music complains that these programmes can only be used after being exposed to millions of songs, some of which are protected by copyright.
“Due to the nature of your operations and published information about your AI systems, we have reason to believe that you or your affiliates may already have made unauthorized uses (including TDM [text and data mining]) of SMG Content about the training, development or commercialization of AI systems,” the letter read in part.
Both Google and OpenAI have created AI tools that can produce music; however, it is unknown what kinds of data were utilised to train these systems. We earlier reported that Universal Music Group, UMG, has announced its strategic alliance with the global streaming music provider, Spotify.
