Sony Music Group has made a public declaration that it is opting out of text or data mining for any purposes, including for training, developing or commercialising any AI system.
In addition to the public statement, the company (representing both recordings and music publishing) has written to 700 companies working in and around AI to expressly prohibit such activity without its consent.
While Sony Music is open to the use of AI as a creative tool, its public statement stresses that “innovation must ensure that songwriters’ and recording artists’ rights, including copyrights, are respected”.
With concerns growing about generative AI, Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer last year pledged to “protect our creators on every level possible”. Now Sony is policing its content by targeting tech firms directly to underline that it will protect copyrighted material.
The legal letter to tech firms working around AI stated: “This letter serves to put you on notice directly, and reiterate, that (save as specifically and expressly authorised by an SMG Company) the SMG Companies expressly prohibit any use of SMG content regardless of how SMG content is sourced including without limitation and for the avoidance of doubt any text or data mining, web scraping or similar, reproductions, extractions or uses (TDM) of SMG content for any purposes, including in relation to training, developing or commercialising any AI system, in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law in all relevant jurisdictions.”
Innovation must ensure that songwriters’ and recording artists’ rights, including copyrights, are respected
Sony Music Group
The letter added: “We believe in the prospect of establishing a sustainable, ethical and responsible framework for the development of AI systems that complements the substantial investments made by SMG companies and SMG talent in their creative works and benefits creative communities and society at large over the long term.”
Sony Music Group will continue to expand the list of AI companies to ensure that its position is clear among that sector.
The public statement on data mining and training for AI is a move that copyright holders are advised to take in many territories, particularly the EU. Sony Music Group has also asked DSPs to update their terms of service to make it clear to third parties that mining and training of the major’s repertoire is not permitted.
The major is open to discussions on licence agreements around AI training by developers. Sony Music Group has provided email contacts for both recordings and publishing for AI training permissions – aitrainingpermission@sonymusic.com and aitrainingpermission@sonymusicpub.com – on its public declaration.
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