Music industry body accuses AI firms of large-scale copyright infringement
The International Confederation of Music Publishers accused major AI companies including OpenAI, Suno, Udio, and Mistral of large-scale copyright infringement by scraping and using music catalogues without paying royalties to create generative music tools. The industry group claimed the infringement was deliberate and commercial-scale after conducting a nearly two-year investigation.
What happened
The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) accused major technology companies including OpenAI, Suno, Udio, and Mistral of large-scale copyright infringement involving the world's entire music catalogue. According to ICMP director general John Phelan, these companies engaged in "wilful, commercial-scale copyright infringement" without paying royalties.
The ICMP, a Brussels-based organization representing major record labels and music industry professionals, conducted a nearly two-year investigation into how generative AI companies used music material to enrich their services. The group claimed AI companies harvested content through web scraping, including from licensed services such as YouTube and other digital music platforms.
Reported impact
AI music generators such as Suno and Udio can produce tracks with voices, melodies and musical styles that echo those of original artists including the Beatles, Mariah Carey, Depeche Mode, and the Beach Boys.
Index analysis
The ICMP alleged that tech companies invoked "fair use" copyright exceptions to justify their use of content without permission. Phelan stated that corporate decisions made by chief executives should comply with the law regarding how technologies are used.
Governance controls
One exception to the alleged infringement was Eleven Music, an AI-generated music service provider, which signed a deal with the Kobalt record label in August. The Recording Industry Association of America filed a lawsuit in June 2024 against Suno and Udio over similar concerns.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.