Warner Music Group Issues Strong Declaration Against Unauthorized AI Training: In May of this year, Sony Music Group issued a strong message to over 700 AI companies, declaring its music recordings and publishing catalog off-limits for AI training without explicit permission and licensing agreements.
The goal was to unequivocally state that Sony does not allow the use of its music for training AI models without proper authorization.
Following Sony’s lead, Warner Music Group (WMG) has also made its stance clear, opting to publish its declaration on its website instead of sending individual letters. You can find their statement here.
The declaration explicitly informs AI companies that they must obtain an express license from WMG for any activities such as “reproducing, distributing, publicly performing, ripping, scraping, crawling, mining, recording, altering, making extractions of, or preparing derivative works of” their content, including its use in training AI models.
WMG’s declaration covers a wide range of content, including recordings, videos, compositions, lyrics, metadata, artwork, and other visual materials. The company references the EU’s 2019 Copyright Directive (and similar laws in other regions) to support its position.
“We have reserved and continue to reserve all our rights,” stated the major label. “We will take any necessary steps to prevent the infringement or other violations of our artists’ and songwriters’ creative works and rights.”
Recently, we’ve seen some of these protective measures in action, such as lawsuits against AI music startups Suno and Udio in the US, with Sony Music among the plaintiffs.
Check out: Warner Music Group Launches New Affiliate in South Asia to Tap into Emerging Markets
Both Sony and WMG’s declarations serve as clear warnings to companies in the AI sector that may consider using their works for training purposes. This proactive approach anticipates potential future legislation, which might require rightsholders to explicitly opt out of AI training. Meanwhile, the major labels are making their positions unmistakably clear.
