From Threat To Tool: How Ai Music Is Moving Toward Mainstream Artist Acceptance
The journey of Ai in music started in 1957 at the University of Illinois, when researchers Lejaren Hiller and Leonard Isaacson used the ILLIAC I computer to compose the Illiac Suite for String Quartet, a fully algorithmic four-movement composition performed by a student quartet on campus This early work demonstrated that computers could generate music with human guided input. That laid the foundation for decades of experimentation and innovation.
Stability AI's $76M Funding Round: A Stronger Hand for the Labels, the Same Old Deal for Artists
Sony, Universal, and Warner just all invested in the same AI company. Smart move against Suno in court, since it proves the labels aren't against AI, just against not getting paid for it. But zoom out and it's the same story the industry has told for decades. The label owns the copyright, so the label captures the new revenue stream, even when that revenue comes from a use of the music nobody could have negotiated for when the artist signed. Stronger legal position for the majors. Same old deal for the artists.
Another Big Name Just Told You Ai Isn't the Enemy
Dr. Dre's NYT interview is the latest proof that the drum-machine, synth, “Ai is just a tool in music” argument was right all along.
Dr. Dre has spent four decades building the case that he knows a good tool when he hears one. The drum machine. The sampler. The synthesizer. Pro Tools. Beats headphones, which he turned into a three-billion-dollar windfall. Every time the instrument changed, the music industry had a meltdown about it, and every time, Dre was on the early side of adopting it and the late side of complaining about it.
AI Music Isn't Going Anywhere. That's Not the Same as Saying It's All the Same.
A year ago, a company the size of Alibaba entering AI music generation would have been a major headline. Today it's one more entrant in a field that already includes Google, Suno, Udio, Motzart, Fender and a growing list of others, backed by waves of deep pocket and deep influence investors and infrastructure. There are no signs of things slowing down. So the quiet reception of Alibaba’s tool tells you something. The novelty phase of AI music is over. The category has arrived, and it's not going away.
BMG Didn't Have to Sign With Suno. That's Exactly Why It Matters.
This week, BMG, the world's fourth largest music company, announced a global licensing deal with Suno. On its own, that might read like just another item in a fast-moving news cycle. But sit with one detail for a second before moving past it: BMG was never suing Suno in the first place.