AI companies have been sued by a major music group for alleged “deliberate large-scale copyright theft”. According to the International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP), several AI firms have seized nearly the entire world's music catalog for use in their services.
AI music generators can create songs that closely resemble the voice, melody, and style of famous artists. ICMP said this is clearly illegal because they do not license or pay music owners.
According to John Phelan of ICMP, the decision of the companies and their CEOs must comply with the law. He added that this is clearly commercial theft. Meanwhile, some AI music services have agreed to settle and pay a license.
ICMP research has found that AI firms are using “scraping” or extracting music and lyrics from various digital platforms without permission. As a result, the music industry is calling for tighter regulations to protect composers, singers, and publishers.
According to a study, musicians could lose more than ₱1.7 trillion (20% of their income) in the next four years due to the increase in AI-generated music on streaming platforms. More of it is being produced every day and is reaching millions of plays online.