Common Music Group’s CEO Sir Lucian Grainge has put the business on discover in an inner memo to Common workers: UMG is not going to license any AI mannequin that makes use of an artist’s voice—or generates new songs incorporating an artist’s current songs—with out that artist’s consent. This isn’t only a slogan; it’s a licensing coverage, an advocacy place, and a deal-making leverage all rolled into one. After the Sora 2 catastrophe, I’ve to imagine that OpenAI is on the prime of the listing.
Right here’s the memo:
Pricey Colleagues,
I’m writing at the moment to replace you on the progress that we’re making on our efforts to reap the benefits of the growing business alternatives introduced by Gen AI expertise for the advantage of all our artists and songwriters.
I need to handle three particular matters:
Accountable Gen AI firm and product agreements; How our artists can take part; and What we’re doing to encourage accountable AI public insurance policies.
UMG is taking part in a pioneering function in fostering AI’s huge potential. Whereas our progress is critical, the velocity at which this expertise is growing makes it vital that you’re all frequently up to date on our efforts and well-versed on the technique and method.
The inspiration of what we’re doing is the idea that collectively, we are able to foster a wholesome business AI ecosystem through which artists, songwriters, music corporations and expertise corporations can all flourish collectively.
NEW AGREEMENTS
To discover the numerous alternatives and decide the most effective approaches, we now have been working with AI builders to place their concepts to the take a look at. The truth is, we have been the primary firm to enter into AI-related agreements with corporations starting from main platforms akin to YouTube, TikTok and Meta to rising entrepreneurs akin to BandLab, Soundlabs, and extra. Each creatively and commercially our portfolio of AI partnerships continues to develop.
Very lately, Common Music Japan introduced an settlement with KDDI, a number one Japanese telecommunications firm, to develop new music experiences for followers and artists utilizing Gen AI. And we’re very actively engaged with almost a dozen totally different corporations on important new merchandise and repair plans that maintain promise for a dramatic growth of the AI music panorama. Additional, we’re seeing different associated developments. Whereas simply scratching the floor of AI’s huge potential, Spotify’s current integration with ChatGPT gives a pathway to maneuver fluidly from question and discovery to enjoyment of music—and all inside a monetized ecosystem.
HOW OUR ARTISTS CAN PARTICIPATE
Based mostly on what we’ve achieved with our AI companions thus far, and the brand new discussions which are underway, we are able to unequivocally say that AI has the potential to ship artistic instruments that may allow us to attach our artists with their followers in new methods—and with superior functionality on a scale we’ve by no means encountered.
Additional, I imagine that Agentic AI, which dynamically employs advanced reasoning and adaptation, has the potential to revolutionize how followers work together with and uncover music.
I do know that we are going to efficiently navigate in addition to seize these alternatives and that these new merchandise might represent a major supply of recent future income for artists and songwriters.
We will likely be actively engaged in discussing all of those developments with your entire artistic neighborhood.
Whereas among the largest alternatives would require additional exploration, we’re excited by the compelling AI fashions we’re seeing emerge.
We are going to solely contemplate advancing AI merchandise based mostly on fashions which are skilled responsibly. That’s the reason we now have entered into agreements with AI builders akin to ProRata and KLAY, amongst others, and are in discussions with quite a few further like-minded corporations whose merchandise present correct attribution and instruments which empower and compensate artists—merchandise that each defend music and improve its monetization.
And to be clear—and this is essential—we are going to NOT license any mannequin that makes use of an artist’s voice or generates new songs which incorporate an artist’s current songs with out their consent.
New AI merchandise will likely be joined by many different comparable ones that may quickly be coming to market, and we now have established groups all through UMG that will likely be working with artists and their representatives to deliver these alternatives on to them.
RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC POLICIES COVERING AI
We stay conscious about the truth that massive and highly effective AI corporations are pressuring governments all over the world to legitimize the coaching of AI expertise on copyrighted materials with out proprietor consent or compensation, amongst different proposals.
To be clear: all these misguided proposals quantity to nothing greater than the unauthorized (and, we imagine, unlawful) exploitation of the rights and property of artistic artists.
As well as, we’re performing within the market to see our companions embrace accountable and moral AI insurance policies and we’re pleased with the progress being made there. For instance, having precisely predicted the fast rise of AI “slop” on streaming platforms, in 2023 we launched Artist-Centric rules to fight what is basically platform air pollution. Since then, a lot of our platform companions have made important progress in putting in measures to handle the diversion of royalties, infringement and fraud—all to the advantage of your entire music ecosystem.
We commend our companions for taking motion to handle this pressing subject, in line with our Artist-Centric method. Additional, we lately introduced an settlement with SoundPatrol, a brand new firm led by Stanford scientists that employs patented expertise to guard artists’ work from unauthorized use in AI music mills.
We’re assured that by displaying our willingness as a neighborhood to embrace these business AI fashions which worth and improve human artistry, we’re demonstrating that market-based options selling innovation are the reply.
LEADING THE WAY FORWARD
So, as we work to guarantee safeguards for artists, we are going to assist paved the way ahead, which is why we’re exploring and discovering modern methods to make use of this revolutionary expertise to create new business alternatives for artists and songwriters whereas concurrently aiding and defending human creativity.
I’m very excited in regards to the merchandise we’re seeing and what the long run holds. I’ll replace you all additional on our progress.
Lucian
Mr. Grainge’s place reframes the dialog from “Can we scrape?” to “How can we get consent and compensate?” That shift issues as a result of AI that clones voices or reconstitutes catalog works isn’t a impartial utility—it’s a market participant competing with human creators and the rights they depend on.
If all the pieces is “transformative” then nothing is protected—and that guts not simply copyright, however artists’ title–picture–likeness (NIL), proper of publicity and in some jurisdictions, ethical rights. A scrape-first, justify-later posture erases possession, antagonizes creators residing and lifeless, and makes catalogs unpriceable. Why would Common—or another rightsholder—accomplice with an organization that treats works and id as free coaching gasoline? What’s nice about Lucian’s assertion is he’s placing a flag within the floor: the business chief is not going to do enterprise with unhealthy actors, whatever the penalties.
What This Means in Follow
- Consent because the gate. Voice clones and “new songs” derived from current songs require affirmative artist approval—full cease.
- Provenance as the usual. AI corporations that need first-party offers should show lawful ingestion, audited datasets, and enforceable guardrails towards impersonation.
- Aligned incentives. The place consent exists, there’s room for discovery instruments, creator utilities, and new income streams; the place it doesn’t, there’s no deal.
Watermarks and “AI-generated” labels don’t remedy false endorsement, right-of-publicity violations, or market substitution. Platforms that design, market, or revenue from celeb emulation with out consent aren’t innovating—they’re externalizing authorized and moral danger onto artists.
Ethical Rights: Why This Resonates Globally
Common’s consent-first stance will resonate in moral-rights jurisdictions the place authors and performers maintain inalienable rights of attribution and integrity (e.g., France’s droit ethical, Germany’s Urheberpersönlichkeitsrecht). AI voice clones and “sound-alike” outputs can misattribute authorship, distort a creator’s inventive id, or topic their work to derogatory therapy—basic moral-rights harms. As a result of many international locations acknowledge autopsy ethical rights and performers’ neighboring rights, the “no consent, no license” rule isn’t just good governance—it’s internationally suitable rights stewardship.
Business Management vs. the “Choose-Out” Mirage
It’s completely important that the business chief actively opposes the absurd “opt-out” gambit and different sleights of hand Huge Technocrats are pushing to drive a Mack truck by way of so-called text-and-data-mining loopholes. Their playbook is easy: legitimize mass coaching on copyrighted works first, then dare creators to search out buried settings or after-the-fact exclusions. That flips property rights on their head and is basically a retroactive protected harbor,
As Mr. Grainge notes, massive AI corporations are pressuring governments to bless coaching on copyrighted materials with out proprietor consent or compensation. These proposals quantity to the unauthorized—and illegal—exploitation of artists’ rights and property. By refusing to play alongside, Common isn’t simply defending its catalog; it’s defending the baseline precept that artistic labor isn’t scrapable.
Consent or Nothing
Let’s be trustworthy: if AI labs have been critical about licensing, we wouldn’t have come one slender miss away from a U.S. state legislation AI moratorium triggered by their very own overreach. That wasn’t only a protected harbor for copyright infringement, that was a protected harbor for all the pieces from privateness, to shopper safety, to baby exploitation, to all the pieces. That’s why it died 99-1 within the Senate, but it surely was an in depth run factor,,
And understand, that’s precisely what they need when they’re left to their very own units, so to talk. The “opt-out” mirage, the scraping euphemisms, and the push to codify TDM loopholes all level the identical route—keep away from consent and keep away from compensation. Common’s place is the mandatory counterweight: consent-first, provenance-audited, revenue-sharing with artists and songwriters (and I’d add nonfeatured artists and vocalists) or no deal. Something much less invitations regulatory whiplash, a race-to-the-bottom for human creativity, and a everlasting breach of belief with artists and their estates.
Studying between the strains, Mr. Grainge has recognized AI as each a compelling alternative and an existential disaster. Let’s see if the others include him and stare down the unhealthy guys.
