Principles for AI Music Creation: UMG, NAMM & SoundCloud sign on

AI For Music has backing from UMG, Rolland, SoundCloud, NAMM and more. Not the music and tech trade group is promoting an ethics code and principles for AI music creation.

Principles for AI Music Creation: UMG, NAMM & SoundCloud sign on

While strong on celebrating the value of creators, respecting rights and ethical behavior, The Principles for Music Creation with AI offer little in the way of how to actually put the AI genie back in the bottle or ways forward.

Nonetheless, the principles are an important starting point for the music industry and creators to rally around.

The Principles for Music Creation with AI

• We believe music is central to humanity. Enjoying and creating music is integral to our health, well-being, and happiness. Music provides a human connection to each other and the world around us and is deeply personal.
• We believe humanity and music are inseparable, and music with true meaning cannot exist without the direct creative contributions of people.
• From acoustic to electronic instruments, we believe that technology has long supported human artistic expression, and applied sustainably, AI will amplify human creativity.
• We believe that human-created works must be respected and protected, and they uniquely merit copyright protections. The use of copyrighted works – and use of the music artists’ name/image/likeness/voice by others – must be authorized in advance of the use and music artists should be given recognition for their contribution.
• We believe transparency is essential to responsible and trustworthy use of AI. In order to establish and maintain trust across all stakeholders, from fans to artists, AI-powered creative platforms and policies must prioritize record keeping and disclosure while shining a light on those who create.
• We believe the perspectives of music artists, songwriters, and other creators must be sought after and respected as AI-powered creative experiences are imagined, strategized, planned, and implemented.
• We are proud to help bring music to life. Together, through the musical instruments we produce, the artists and songwriters we represent, and the music education programs we support, we inspire and enable creativity.

Learn more here.

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.