SoundExchange AI Music Registry: Protecting Creators Rights

SoundExchange is developing a much needed global artificial intelligence (AI) registry for sound recording creators and rights owners.

SoundExchange AI Music Registry

Expected to launch in the first quarter of 2025, the music registry is part of the a growing SoundExchange toolkit for the collection and distribution of recording royalties that utilizes its massive international standard recording code (ISRC) database.

Some AI Rights Reserved…

Just as Sony and WMG have declared that AI companies can not use their music to train models, the new registry will provide all creators and rights owners a new way to protect their music.

Like any license, the registry will allow them to “reserve” rights (if they choose) against training by AI algorithms on a company by company basis. While U.S. law does not require it to protect creators’ rights, the global registry will be another tool to help AI companies properly handle their training data and facilitate similar protections in Europe and elsewhere.

Companies building AI training models will be able to reference the database of authorization declarations before ingesting recordings, helping to ensure appropriate permissions before capitalizing on others’ intellectual property.

“The rapid proliferation of companies building and leveraging AI music models demands creators have an ability to declare easily whether or not they want their work used in that process,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “Our driving mission is to simplify the music industry and protect the value of music. Because of our role in the music industry and our authoritative data, SoundExchange is in a unique and trusted position to create an AI sound recordings registry.”

SoundExchange is a founding member of  the Human Artistry Campaign, a global alliance of more than 170 organizations from 34 countries that recognizes the value of AI as a tool for artists, but fundamentally believes that AI can never replace human expression, creativity, and artistry.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.