universal music group

Snowcrash Launches NFT platform, Working with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group

Solana-based NFT marketplace Snowcrash has announced a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group to launch an NFT trading platform, bringing creative arts and digital innovation together.

Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, and emerging artist Varvara NFT series will also be launched in the coming months.

Filmmaker Jesse Dylan, the founder of Snowcrash, believes that what NFTs can do for non-profit organizations, NGOs, etc., is limitless. The NFT market currently seen by the public is just the “tip of the iceberg”.

He chose the Solana blockchain on the Ethereum network to launch the platform based on environmentally friendly conditions.

Dennis Kooker, President of Sony Music Entertainment’s global digital business, said:

“Snowcrash is a promising new NFT marketplace with strong leadership connections to the music community, experienced technology vision and differentiated in-house creative capabilities. We are pleased to be partnering with them to identify and develop a range of opportunities for our recording artists with a focus on delivering accessible, user-friendly experiences for both creators and fans.”

Universal Music Executive Vice President Michael Nash responded:

“The all-star team behind Snowcrash, with the incredible experience and perspective that Jeff, Jesse and Walter bring from their varied backgrounds and fields, promises to deliver exciting new creative opportunities for our global roster of artists and songwriters.”

As reported by blockchain.News on January 13, U.S.-based music blockchain NFT platform LÜM has announced 25 partnerships with world-renowned musicians to launch the “Access Pass” NFT.

Universal Music Group Calls for AI Music Copyright Protection

The rise of AI-generated music has sparked concerns over copyright infringement, with Universal Music Group (UMG) calling on streaming services to block AI services from harvesting melodies and lyrics from copyrighted songs. According to a report from the Financial Times on April 13, UMG has been sending requests to take down AI-generated songs “left and right,” as they have been popping up on streaming services with increased frequency.

AI bots have had access to music catalogs on streaming platforms, which developers have used to train the technology. However, UMG has become “increasingly concerned” about AI bots using intellectual property to produce music identical to actual artists. A source close to the situation said that this next generation of technology currently emerging poses “significant issues.”

Until now, developers have used music catalogs on streaming platforms to train AI models. However, this practice could be problematic because AI-generated music could potentially infringe on the intellectual property rights of the original artists. For instance, AI could compose a song that resembles Taylor Swift’s lyrics, but with vocals and themes of other popular artists like Bruno Mars and Harry Styles. The output would be due to the fact that the AI has been trained on those artists’ intellectual property.

One Twitter user posted an example of an AI-generated song that features an AI-version of the famous rapper Jay-Z, which is almost indistinguishable from the real Jay-Z. The user said that as a fan of Jay-Z, he “enjoyed” the track but doesn’t know if he should feel “good or ashamed” for liking AI-generated music.

The issue could only be the beginning of what could be in store for the music industry in its fight against AI technology taking advantage of intellectual property rights. Along with AI-generated music on Twitter and popular streaming platforms, entire YouTube pages are popping up, remaking well-known music via AI technology.

In response to the issue, UMG has taken an artist-first stance, writing in emails to the streaming services that “we will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists.” The same Twitter user also tweeted a clip of an AI model of Kanye West singing along to the tracks of rapper Drake’s song “Hold On.” Examples like this touch on the exact fears UMG is currently raising about streaming services.

Google has also announced its own machine-learning music apparatus called MusicLM, which will be able to generate “high-fidelity music from text descriptions.” The application has yet to be released; however, Google has released an entire page on GitHub of sample music generated with insights about how it was generated.

In conclusion, the emergence of AI-generated music has raised concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property rights in the music industry. As AI technology continues to advance, it will be increasingly important to protect the rights of artists and ensure that their work is not being replicated without their consent.

Spotify removes AI-generated music

The ongoing battle between the music industry and artificial intelligence (AI) continues as Spotify removes AI-generated music. According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), the music streaming platform has removed 7% of songs created by the AI music startup Boomy, amounting to “tens of thousands” of songs. Spotify is also said to be increasing its policing of the platform in response to the situation.

This action by Spotify comes after the platform and other streaming services received complaints of fraud and clutter on the platform. The music industry giant Universal Music Group (UMG) alerted streaming service providers of “suspicious streaming activity” on Boomy tracks, according to FT sources. UMG’s alert led to the removal of the Boomy songs due to the suspected “artificial streaming” of bots posing as listeners, said Spotify. The company also commented, “Artificial streaming is a longstanding, industry-wide issue that Spotify is working to stamp out across our service.”

Representatives from Boomy said the platform is “categorically against” all manipulation or artificial streaming of any kind. However, Lucian Grainge, CEO at Universal Music Group, commented to investors that “The recent explosive development in generative AI will, if left unchecked, both increase the flood of unwanted content on platforms and create rights issues with respect to existing copyright law.”

Last month, UMG emailed streaming services, including Spotify, to block AI services from accessing music catalogs for training purposes. UMG has also sent requests “left and right” to remove AI-generated songs from platforms.

While music industry giants are fighting to control AI-generated content, some artists like Grimes are championing its use. The musician permitted creators to use her voice and be a “guinea pig” for AI music creation, as long as a small set of rules were followed and royalties were split.

In conclusion, the issue of AI-generated music and fraudulent streaming activities is a long-standing problem in the music industry. As the technology continues to develop, it is likely that music industry giants and streaming services will increase their policing of the platform. However, some artists are embracing AI as a new way to create music, and it will be interesting to see how the industry adapts to this new technology in the coming years.

Anthropic's Updated Terms of Service: Enhanced Copyright Protection for AI Outputs

Anthropic, a leading company in generative artificial intelligence, has recently updated its commercial terms of service, effective January 1, 2024, to address important concerns regarding intellectual property and data usage. This update is particularly significant for users of Anthropic’s Claude API, which is also available through Amazon’s generative AI development suite, Bedrock.

Under the new terms, Anthropic has taken a strong stance to protect its customers from copyright infringement claims related to the authorized use of their services. The company commits to indemnify its enterprise Claude API customers from such claims, promising to defend against allegations that a customer’s paid use of Anthropic’s services, including data used to train their models, violates third-party intellectual property rights such as patents, trade secrets, trademarks, or copyrights.

This move places Anthropic alongside other major generative AI providers like Microsoft, Adobe, Shutterstock, OpenAI, IBM, and Google, who have also implemented similar intellectual property protection measures for their generative AI outputs. These protections, however, come with certain limitations. For instance, the indemnification does not cover claims related to customer prompts or uses of the service that violate the terms of use, arise from willful misconduct or violations of law, modifications made by the customer to the services or outputs, or the combination of services or outputs with technology not provided by Anthropic. Additionally, certain patent or trademark-related violations are also excluded from this protection.

Furthermore, it’s important for businesses considering the use of generative AI tools to thoroughly analyze the terms and conditions of the provider, taking into account not only legal factors but also non-legal considerations like pricing and technical capabilities. This comprehensive review should include an examination of the intellectual property protection provisions and any relevant exclusions offered by the provider, especially for paid or enterprise customers. Such diligence is crucial in the current landscape where copyright and privacy lawsuits against generative AI providers, concerning the scraping of copyrighted works for training AI models, are still ongoing. These legal battles present unresolved intellectual property issues, making the protections offered by companies like Anthropic a welcome addition for their customers. However, it’s vital for customers to fully understand and consider these terms and indemnification provisions in the context of their specific or potential uses.

Legal actions such as those initiated by Universal Music Group against Anthropic in October 2023, and the lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft by author Julian Sancton, highlight the complexities and evolving nature of copyright law in the age of artificial intelligence. These cases underscore the importance of AI companies proactively addressing copyright concerns and ensuring they have robust protections in place for their customers. Anthropic’s recent update to its terms of service is a step towards greater clarity and security in this rapidly advancing field.