YouTube wants record labels to provide more music for use with AI

YouTube is negotiating to license more artists to train new generative AI tools. The company has offered a contract to labels such as Universal, Sony and Warner so they can provide more tracks that can be “cloned” by AI and used to create new content.

Late last year, YouTube announced a tool for creating AI music for videos. The project, called “Dream Track”, is being tested with a selected group of artists living in the USA. According to the Financial Times, the platform is now seeking legal agreements to acquire more educational materials.

According to the newspaper, YouTube does not plan to expand Dream Track but to test new tools that may be available later. The company will engage “dozens” of artists to develop the new resources. The source stated that the contracts stipulate one-time payments rather than royalty-based commissions.

Record companies are taking precautions against artificial intelligence

Dream Track was announced in November 2023. At the time, it seemed easier to train productive AI with music from great artists. But the scenario has changed a lot in just a few months.

In January 2024, a group of more than 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, and Katy Perry, demanded that tech companies stop using AI to “violate the rights and devalue human artists.”

In May, Sony Music became the first record label to take a public stance against the misuse of its catalog to train AI tools. The document was sent to more than 700 companies worldwide, including artificial intelligence and streaming platforms. UMG threatened to remove its catalog from TikTok following copyright violations.

In June, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a lawsuit against Suno and Udio. The American institution claimed that the companies were using copies of the works in the respective record companies’ catalogs without permission.