What to know
- SOCAN alleges Suno’s AI platform replicates artists’ songs without consent or payment.
- Music commentators say the move is overdue and signals broader concerns for artists’ rights.
- The case could set important precedents for how AI and copyright law interact in the music industry.
- Now Toronto reached out to Suno for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The AI-powered music platform Suno is facing backlash and a major lawsuit from SOCAN for allegedly copying and streaming artists’ songs without permission or compensation, a move many in the music industry say is long overdue.
Suno is a generative AI music creation platform known for generating songs, including vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation, from a simple text prompt. But the platform has faced criticism from various music companies for allegedly replicating artists’ songs without consent or compensation.
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) announced last week that it’s taking a stand, publicly calling out the platform and starting a lawsuit over its AI songs.
“We are suing Suno because we need to protect the rights of music creators and publishers to prevent the unauthorized use of their songs,” the Instagram post said in part.
“Suno has built its business on the backs of creators without obtaining the necessary permissions or licenses.”
SOCAN has identified 150 Suno outputs that were allegedly identical or very similar to songs in its repertoire.
“Those findings reflect only a sample of Suno’s broader unauthorized activity and demonstrate the urgent need for responsible AI practices,” the post says.
SOCAN is asking the courts to require Suno to comply with copyright laws, remove infringing outputs from circulation, and respect the rights of music creators and publishers whenever it uses their works.
“SOCAN has a responsibility to act when the rights of music creators and publishers are put at risk. Innovation can’t come at the expense of human creativity. The future of music must belong to the people who make it.” Jennifer Brown, SOCAN’s CEO, wrote in the post.
‘It’s overdue’: Music commentators share their thoughts
In an interview with Now Toronto, Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC)’s Executive Director, Melanie Brulée, said she supports SOCAN’s move.
“It’s overdue… I’m seeing other organizations have been successful in suing Suno, so I do wonder why it took so long for it to happen,” she said.
“It’s so clear to me that this has been theft for a long time, so I’m happy to hear that there is movement in that direction.”
Music commentator Alan Cross shared a similar perspective, but stated that this lawsuit is only a small part of the larger fight against AI usage in the music industry.
“These AI companies are basically stealing intellectual property without offering any sort of compensation or asking for any permission,” Cross told Now Toronto.
But Cross isn’t discouraged by its production, saying AI can never imitate a musician’s talent.
“AI is a series of algorithms that simply ape and imitate what humans have already created. They’re getting better and better at doing that, but there is never going to be a situation where an AI gives us a new Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney,” he said.
“It’s turning real gold, as in the real music made by real people with real emotion, into something like a Big Mac. Nothing more,” Cross added.
How is this affecting artists’ livelihoods?
Brulée says Suno’s work allegedly replicating artists’ music reflects a bigger problem: the effects of this technology on musicians’ livelihoods.
“When we’re looking at who benefits from things like this, it’s often some larger wallets. It’s hard, I think, for people who do this day-in-day-out. They’re struggling because of the way that revenue streams are consistently being ripped away from artists,” Brulée explained, adding that streaming platforms don’t pay artists properly, merch sales are more expensive, CD’s aren’t as prominent as before, and now AI’s entering the deal.
‘Do we care enough to protect the creators?’: Do consumers care if music is made by AI?
In a world where AI seems to be evolving and taking over multiple industries, Brulée questioned whether music lovers care enough about protecting musicians.
“Some people will care if it’s AI; some people won’t. When you look at how the AI has been trained, of course some people would like it because it’s been trained on popular music, on stuff that has good value,” Brulée said.
Cross agreed, but said he believes AI doesn’t achieve the same moving results real musicians do.
“Who wants a robot that has no emotions, who’s never had a breakup, who’s never been angry, who’s never gone through a divorce? Who would prefer that over the real thing?” he questioned.
That’s why both experts are encouraging transparency and labelling AI music.
But if AI takes over, Brulée says everyone loses.
“We all lose if creatives are being pushed into the underground,” she said.
“Are we going to stop technologies from being built or being used? I think that’s unrealistic. But do we care enough to protect the creators? I think that’s the greater question,” Brulée said.
Now Toronto reached out to Suno for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
