How music AI startups respond to copyright

People were excited when they first listened to “Heart on My Sleeve,” a new song that seemed to be a collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd. However, it was later discovered that a fake AI singer had used deep learning technology to cover the song. The unauthorized version was removed from various music platforms within three days. The issue of whether AI-generated songs can be copyrighted is currently a hot potato, and music AI startups are trying to address this question in their own ways.

Insert audio watermark

Meta, OpenAI, and Google have made a commitment to add audio watermarks to AI-generated content going forward. This is an important step towards crediting the rightful creators of AI music content. A Korea startup called ‘MUSEBLOSSOM’ has developed a digital audio watermarking service known as ‘Audio Defense’. The system adds inaudible sounds that can only be detected by MUSEBLOSSOM’s own AI engine to audio content that is difficult to copyright, such as AI-generated music. This helps to mark the territory of the producer and prevent illegal theft of their work. Adding an audio watermark to your AI music content before uploading it to YouTube can help you protect your work from being stolen. In the future, MUSEBLOSSOM may provide a solution to the issue of claiming ownership of AI music copyright.

Acquire an artist

India-based ‘beatoven.ai’ has acquired the human resources of 200 top artists and producers. And they have a database of more than 50,000 samples from them. By utilizing these samples, the AI generates personalized music for users. Although beatoven.ai users can use the music in their content without paying royalties, the company still retains the copyright of the music. If more AI-powered music startups follow beatoven.ai’s approach, producers, songwriters, and even famous singer-songwriters could potentially partner with these startups instead of traditional music companies like Warner Music Group and HYBE.

Partial use of AI for human voice

AI-generated content is currently difficult to copyright because it is not created by a human. However, some companies are exploring the idea of using AI technology as an assistant to human singers. For instance, ‘Supertone’, a Korea singing voice synthesis technology startup, has released music featuring the vocals of HYBE’s newcomer ‘Midnat’. They have partially utilized AI technology to correct multilingual pronunciation and switch genders. This approach suggests that human singers can be supported by AI singers without infringing on copyright laws. From now on, artists may be able to recognize ‘AI singers’ for their contributions to their albums or performances.

Exclusive music dataset

Did you know that AI-generated background music is extensively used in movies, dramas, games, and YouTube videos? However, sometimes it is difficult to identify the creator of the music. A South Korea startup called ‘Pozalabs’ has developed its music dataset over six years. Its AI composers only create background music from this dataset, reducing concerns of copyright infringement. Music distributors and vendors are registered under the name Pozalabs. The person who commissions a song from Pozalabs’ AI composer is listed as a copyright holder along with Pozalabs. This suggests that ‘ordering a song from an AI’ could become another area of songwriting. This could create a new job for someone who designs an outline of a song they want to write and then gives the AI the order.

Copyright belongs to the creator

‘Amadeus Code’ is a Japan music startup that has developed an AI-powered songwriting application for all creators. With this AI, even those new to songwriting can capture hit song-like chords. By using data from past hits, the AI can help you create your own unique melody and export a MIDI file with the chord progression. The creators of Amadeus code make it clear that the copyright of the song belongs to the creator, who is also free to monetize their music content. It’s exciting to imagine how you could potentially become a billionaire by playing your own songs, created by Amadeus code, in the Metaverse and selling them for cryptocurrency.