On Monday, Oct. 28, Universal Music Group announced that it has partnered with the so-called “ethical AI music company” Klay Vision.
The goal? To build an AI model — which Klay calls the Large Music Model — that aligns with the music industry’s standards on creativity and copyright.
The LA-based company has some big names from the music and tech fields on their payroll, including music producer Ary Attie, former Sony Music executive Thomas Hesse, and former Google Deepmind developer Björn Winckler.
Attie, in particular, has high hopes for Klay, as he predicted that “the next Beatles will play with Klay.”
Why did Universal Music Group change its mind about AI music?
For Universal Music Group, this is a rapid change of tune. It wasn’t that long ago that the label, along with Sony and Warner Bros, sued AI music makers like Suno and Uncharted Labs.
The company also didn’t hold back when negotiating AI protections with TikTok, with the label removing its artists’ songs from the social media platform for months. So, what was the secret to Universal Music Group’s change of heart?
It’s currently unclear what role Universal Music Group artists will have in negotiating their fate in this new AI arrangement. However, a joint statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Universal Music Group and Klay said that they share “the conviction that state-of-the-art foundational AI models are best built and scaled responsibly through constructive dialogue and consensus with those responsible for the artistry that shapes global culture.”
They added: “Building generative AI music models ethically and fully respectful of copyright, as well as name and likeness rights, will dramatically lessen the threat to human creators and stand the greatest opportunity to be transformational, creating significant new avenues for creativity and future monetization of copyrights.”
