Artificial intelligence firms Suno and Udio are facing legal action from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and major record labels Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group. The lawsuits allege that these companies have engaged in copyright infringement over Metro Boomin’s beat.
The controversy centers around the BBL Drizzy beat, created by Udio and later sampled by Metro Boomin for an instrumental diss track aimed at Drake. The original song, including its vocals, was entirely generated by AI.
The record-setting Metro Boomin is not named as a defendant, as he was reportedly unaware that the sample he used was AI-generated.
The lawsuits claim that Suno and Udio used Sony, Warner, and Universal copyrighted material to train their AI models to produce music. The attorneys for the record labels argue that the AI models copied and ingested massive amounts of data, including decades’ worth of popular sound recordings, to generate new outputs that closely mimic human-created music.
The lawsuits seek to stop Suno and Udio from using copyrighted music to train their AI programs and demand damages for past infringements. The evidence presented in the lawsuits includes alleged instances of AI programs replicating producer tags from artists like Cash Money AP and Jason Derulo and vocals from iconic artists such as Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey.
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In response, Suno issued a statement defending its technology. They emphasized its mission to enable everyone to create music and claimed that its AI generates new output rather than copying existing content. Suno expressed disappointment that the record labels did not engage in a good-faith discussion before taking legal action.
The RIAA dismissed Suno’s response, asserting that the company was attempting to justify unethical practices. They emphasized that true support for artists involves obtaining permission before using their work and developing technology that collaborates with, rather than replaces human creativity. The RIAA highlighted that responsible AI applications are already being used in partnerships with music companies.
