YouTube is reportedly in talks with several record labels to reach a deal that would allow it to use copyrighted songs to train its artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The Google-owned platform is said to be working on several new AI features that it plans to launch later this year. Last year, the video streaming platform announced it was testing an AI song generator called Dream Track for Shorts, but it never went public. The report now highlights that this deal could be for separate AI tools that can also generate songs.
YouTube explores AI deals with record labels
According to the Financial Times report, YouTube is already in discussions with three separate record labels to license its songs. Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication claims the company had offered lump sums of cash to Sony, Warner and Universal. The deal is said to ask for the rights to use those copyrighted songs to train its AI models and let it generate songs that might be similar in style.
However, this can be difficult to achieve. The report highlights that artists are not in favor of such deals as they fear they could undermine their talent and have a permanent impact on their careers, while record companies seem to have a different opinion.
“The industry is struggling with this. Technically the companies own the copyright, but we have to think about how to play it. We don't want to be seen as a Luddite,” the publication quoted an unnamed executive as saying. a great music company.
Explaining the nature of these deals, the report claimed that YouTube would make a one-time payment to record labels instead of a royalty-based fee paid by Spotify and Apple. Also, the video streaming giant is unlikely to obtain a blanket license with a record label, according to the report. Instead, the company is said to be able to only have access to songs from select artists who agree to be part of this deal.
While YouTube last year announced its testing of Dream Track, an AI-powered song generator aimed at its vertical video format shorts, this deal is said to be for separate AI tools . However, the functionality will remain the same. The company is reportedly looking to bring on dozens of artists to train its AI models that are scheduled to be released later this year.
